Opening of Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre bolsters Glasgow’s fight against the disease
Published: 9 May 2014
Cancer research in Glasgow has received a massive boost with the official opening of a new centre to help find cures for the various forms of the disease
Cancer research in Glasgow has received a massive boost with the official opening of a new centre to help find cures for the various forms of the disease.
Built with the help of £10 million in public donations raised through the Beatson Pebble Appeal, the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre (WWCRC) was officially opened by Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK.
The Centre complements the Beatson Institute, which studies the mechanisms of cancer development and how it spreads, and the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Care Centre, which provides treatment and support to patients with the disease as well as clinical research and clinical trials.
The Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre will provide the missing link by shortening the time it takes to translate basic research in the lab into treatment for patients. The opening of the Centre comes 40 years after the foundation of the Oncology Department at the University of Glasgow in 1974.
Dr Kumar said: “While we have made huge strides in our fight against cancer over recent decades, the battle still rages and we need to keep investing in new research centres like this in order to make further progress.
“Glasgow is a major centre for cancer research in the UK and a key partner in our fight.
“Basic research like the kind that will take place in the Wolfson Wohl is essential to turning the knowledge gleaned in the lab into treatments that will actually help patients beat cancer. We’re delighted to see it up and running.”
Professor Andrew Biankin, Director of the Wolfson Wohl, said: “The Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre is a much needed catalyst for accelerating the process of understanding cancer, improving existing therapies and identifying new ones, and bringing them to patients.
“The Centre is the only translational research facility dedicated to cancer in Scotland. It will greatly increase the scale of activity, allowing for around 150 scientists to be dedicated to translational research.
“Without the WWCRC there would be an undoubted gap in the work of the clinicians and scientists throughout Glasgow, greatly undermining the potential to optimise the use of our patient population and its high cancer incidence.
“These combined factors put Glasgow in a strong position to make a significant and long term impact on speeding up the process of drug discovery, prevention and treatment, targeting to the common cancers.”
The new centre is named The Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre in recognition of donations from The Wolfson Foundation and the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation.
Since August 2012, the second phase of the Beatson Pebble Appeal, Pioneering Cancer Research, has raised over £1.2m towards providing the most up-to-date facilities and equipment, to help attract world-class cancer research scientists to drive the research taking place in Glasgow. To donate to the Beatson Pebble Appeal, Pioneering Cancer Research, visit: http://www.beatsonpebbleappeal.org/
First published: 9 May 2014
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