The biggest investment in cancer research in Britain for 50 years was announced today at the launch of a new charity set up to fight the disease.
Cancer Research UK, formed by the merger of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Cancer Research Campaign, is to create a £75m programme, funding scientific institutes in Oxford, Cambridge and Newcastle-upon-Tyne in collaboration with universities and the government.
The joining of the two charities has resulted in what is one of Britain's largest charities and the biggest independent cancer research organisation in the world. A spokesperson said the added cash resulting from the merger would make Britain the "world's new hope" for finding cures for cancer.
Imperial Cancer had an annual income of £124m, together with funds and investments of £265m. Cancer Research Campaign had an income of £101m and funds of £107m. The new charity will employ around 3,000 people, and spend £130m a year on scientific research. Professor Gordon McVie, joint director general of Cancer Research UK, said: "This is a red letter day for cancer patients everywhere and signals the dawn of a new age for research. "
The new charity's programme comprises five projects, the foremost of which is a £40m, state-of-the-art research institute in Cambridge, employing 300 researchers, in a joint project with Cambridge University.
A £15m population research institute in Oxford is being set up to study the prevention and control of cancer and other killer diseases, a joint venture with Oxford University and the British Heart Foundation.
A research centre in Newcastle - the Northern Institute for Cancer Research - in partnership with the government, the Foundation For Children With Leukaemia and Newcastle University, will be set up with £11m to develop new anti-cancer drugs.
To mark World Cancer Day today, Cancer Research UK is also announcing six key aims for the future: to cure cancer patients faster; to cut numbers of people getting cancer; to provide better treatments for cancer patients; to train more cancer doctors, nurses and scientists for research; to be the authoritative source of information on cancer and to maximise resources available for cancer research.
Cancer Research UK will have an annual scientific budget of more than £130m and a team of 3,000 dedicated researchers, doctors and nurses.
Dr Paul Nurse, the charity's second joint director general, said: "Separately, as Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Cancer Research Campaign, we struggled to buy the expensive facilities and hi-tech equipment modern research requires.
"Together, this will now be possible, increasing the speed by which lab bench discoveries translate to patient benefits."
Lady Hayman, chairwoman of Cancer Research UK, added: "There will be enormous public expectation for us to deliver on new treatments for cancer, but we are all excited by that challenge."