Confocal picture of breast cancer cells. Image by Simona Donatello.
The Minister for Science, Technology & Innovation, Mr Conor Lenihan TD has announced funding of €5.6 million from Government, through Science Foundation Ireland, for the establishment of a new cancer-focused research collaboration that has genuine potential to make Ireland a leading centre for cancer drug discovery and development. The Strategic Research Cluster (SRC) in Molecular Therapeutics for Cancer will assemble and build a fully-integrated national translational cancer drug discovery and development programme that will significantly benefit cancer patients in Ireland.
Three of the four co-principal investigators in the new SRC are UCD Conway Institute Fellows: Prof Joe Duffy, Prof William Gallagher, and Prof William Watson. The fourth co-principal investigator in the SRC is Dr Judith Harmey, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The SRC will be run under the leadership of Consultant Medical Oncologist, Prof John Crown, with Dublin City University as lead academic institution.
The UCD Conway Fellows will explore areas including the spread of breast cancer, resistance to cancer treatments and the development of hormone independent prostate cancer. Partners in the new SRC include Trinity College Dublin / St. James’s Hospital and Irish Cooperative Oncology Research Group. Industry Partners include GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Novartis, Roche, Amgen, Erigal, Caliper Life Science and AntiCancer Inc.
''Today marks the latest declaration from Government that it believes in science, and greatly values the top class collaborative research being conducted in this country'', said Minister Lenihan.
Prof Frank Gannon, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, added ‘This SRC is a deliberate step to bring together the clinical and pharmaceutical worlds through the definition of research that is mutually important’.
SFI’s SRC programme aims to link scientists and engineers in partnerships across academia and industry to address crucial research questions, foster the development of new and existing Irish-based technology companies, and to grow partnerships with industry that will enhance the competitiveness of Ireland’s economy.
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