Trinity Academic Cancer Trials Group awarded over €2million from the HRB
Posted on: 21 December 2021
Trinity Academic Cancer Trials Group awarded over €2 million from the Health Research Board to improve survival and quality of life for patients with cancer.
The Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute welcomed the announcement.
The Trinity Academic Cancer Trials Group, a Health Research Board (HRB) partnership supporting cancer clinical trials to improve health and care – comprised of the Trinity St James Cancer Institute at St James Hospital, Tallaght university hospital & the Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore with academic partner Trinity College Dublin – has been awarded over €2 million from the Health Research Board (HRB).
The funding was announced on Friday, December 17th. The award was part of an overall €21 million investment in cancer clinical trials, from the HRB, to transform cancer care in Ireland.
Working together, the Trinity Academic Cancer Trials hospitals provide care to an immediate local population of 800,000 people and the three cancer-treating hospitals collectively provide care to 7000 patients with cancers annually.
The Trinity Academic Cancer Trials Group, led by Professor Maeve Lowery was one of six cancer trials groups awarded funding from the HRB. The funding will tackle childhood and adult cancers, making a real difference to the lives of cancer patients, allowing them more access to cancer trials by increasing the resources and expertise required to conduct them.
Speaking on the announcement, Professor Maeve Lowery, said:
Every cancer treatment was once the subject of a clinical trial. With one in two people in Ireland developing cancer in their lifetime, cancer clinical trials are essential because they test and find new and better ways to screen, prevent, diagnose and treat it. Patients benefit from having access to high quality clinical trials, in health systems that support them.
The Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute supports world class research and the development of innovative cancer therapies through the mechanism of cancer clinical trials; impacting positively on patient experiences and outcomes.
The Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute, is the first Irish cancer institute to be accredited by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). The mission of the Institute is to integrate innovative and ground-breaking cancer science with compassionate, multidisciplinary, patient-focused clinical care through translation of key research findings into incremental advances in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We will achieve these goals utilising the extensive resources located on the St James’s campus, allied with the research and educational expertise of Trinity College Dublin and in partnership with the wider cancer care community.
Welcoming the news, Oonagh Ward, Head of Research and Innovation Infrastructures with the HRB, said:
Ultimately, this investment is about finding new and safe approaches to prevent and treat cancer and save more lives. We are particularly pleased with the breadth of this investment, which spans childhood and adult cancers and includes new cancer trials groups in radiation therapy and paediatric cancer.
The five other cancer trials groups awarded funding by the HRB are:
- Children’s Health Ireland Cancer Trials Group led by Professor Owen Smith and hosted at University College Dublin
- Beaumont Hospital – RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences Cancer Trials Group led by Professor Patrick Morris and hosted at RCSI
- Irish Research Radiation Cancer Trials Group led by Dr Sinead Brennan and hosted at Trinity College Dublin
- UCC Cancer Trials Group led by Professor Roisin Connolly and hosted at University College Cork
- Ireland East Hospital Cancer Trials Group led by Professor Catherine Kelly hosted at University College Dublin
More: You can read the official press release announcement from the HRB here.