The investment will support research into cancer treatments and diagnosis

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has announced its largest ever investment of £123m in Scotland as part of a seven-year commitment to the CRUK Scotland Institute.

The institute, which is facilitated in partnership with the University of Glasgow, will use the investment to support research into new and improved cancer treatments and diagnosis, as well as bolster Scotland as a major global hub for cancer research.

It will also aid in attracting research talent to the Scotland Institute and will support major studies into specific types of cancer that largely affect Scotland’s population, including liver, pancreatic, bowel and lung.

Despite mortality rates falling by 8% in the past decade, more than 34,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Scotland.

Previously known as the CRUK Beatson Institute, the CRUK Scotland Institute studies the roots of how cancer begins, the genetics of cancer, and how the immune system responds to the disease with the aim of discovering new ways to screen for cancer and create potential new therapies.

Most recently, in a study focused on imaging in bowel cancer using mouse cell models of bowel cancer, researchers suppressed the adenosylhomocysteinase (AHCY) enzyme, a key to the growth of bowel cancer, and found that cancer growth slowed down.

The new funding could help the Institute discover more potential treatment targets, such as AHCY, for cancer.

"This investment reflects our confidence that Scotland can go even further in becoming a major competitor on an increasingly competitive worldwide cancer research stage as we aim for a ‘golden era’ of life sciences," said Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK.

Michael Matheson, Scotland's health secretary, said: "We welcome Cancer Research UK’s announcement of renewed funding for the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute."

He added: "This funding will help ensure it continues its internationally recognised research work."

https://www.pharmatimes.com/news/cancer_research_uk_invests_123m_in_scotland_1500706