Biomedical Research Centre
The Royal Marsden, together with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), is designated as the UK’s only Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Cancer.
This award was made in 2006 by the National Institute for Health Research. It involves a £10 million annual research grant and £6 million of capital investment to build a state-of-the-art Translational Research Centre.
Translational research
As a Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), we continue to develop novel technologies and therapies for patients, based on the latest ground-breaking science in basic and applied cancer research.
The specific remit of the BRC is to facilitate rapid and effective translation of scientific findings regarding the genetic and molecular basis of cancer into improved therapeutic strategies that are ultimately tested in large-scale national trials.
Clinical research projects within the BRC specifically relate to:
- improved methods for diagnosing cancer
- profiling cancers into different genetic and molecular subtypes
- developing novel treatment strategies with targeted drugs
- evaluating selective radiotherapy techniques
- enhanced methods for monitoring response to treatment.
The translational research carried out at the BRC follows through to larger national trials, and therefore has a key role in influencing clinical practice.