Chief Executive Harpal Kumar said the improved survival rates now seen for many types of cancer are proof that cancer research delivers results. “Over the past year our ground-breaking research has continued to lead the way in the causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of every type of cancer,” he said.
The charity funds over 4,500 research scientists, doctors and nurses throughout the UK.
The past year has seen charity getting involved in a number of new research initiatives including the Cancer Research UK-MRC Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, which is being set up in partnership with Oxford University and the UK Medical Research Council, to help improve and refine radiotherapy treatments.
In addition, the charity funded a series of genome-wide studies to isolate regions of the genome that can increase the risk of developing cancer. In particular, scientists at its Cambridge Research Institute concluded a collaboration which brought together 15 research teams from around the world, to identify five regions of the genome containing genes that can increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
The charity is also at the centre of proposals to develop a new research institute, the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation, in partnership with the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and University College London.
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