Our research in Cardiff
Professor Awen Gallimore is a researcher at Cardiff University. Her research group is focused on using the immune system to tackle cancer.
Our research in Cardiff
Last year we spent over £4 million in Cardiff on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.
Our scientists in Cardiff are experts in unveiling the inner workings of cancer cells, as well as genetics, early detection and prevention. Here are some examples of the research we fund in Cardiff.
Harnessing the immune system to tackle cancer
Stopping cancer cells in their tracks
Professor Duncan Baird and his team are working to understand how the end caps of DNA, called ‘telomeres’, might be important in the development of leukaemia and other cancers.
Engineering viruses to target cancer
Dr Alan Parker and his team are engineering viruses to infect and kill cancer cells. If successful, these viruses have the potential to deliver different therapies directly to the tumour.
What we're doing now
Our researchers in Cardiff are turning pioneering discoveries into new therapies, helping to beat cancer sooner. We work closely with Cardiff University, Cardiff and Vale Health Board and Velindre NHS Trust, focusing particularly on leukaemia, bowel, breast, urological and prostate cancers.
Cardiff is home to the Centre for Trials Research, delivering world-leading research that accelerates the transition of lab-based discoveries to the clinic for the benefit of people affected by cancer.
The Cardiff Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) is a unique partnership between CRUK and the Department of Health for Wales to bring together lab scientists and cancer doctors to speed up the flow of ideas and new treatments from the lab to the clinic.
Your support helps to fund a Senior Research Nurse for Wales and 14 Cancer Research UK co-funded research nurses across Wales, working alongside doctors to look after patients who are taking part in clinical trials.
How we've made a difference so far
- Cardiff has been recognised for its world-class research into the adult leukaemia acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Professor Alan Burnett led the UK national clinical trials in this disease for more than 20 years, which have now become world’s biggest trials for this cancer type.
- Professor Malcom Mason was a world-leading doctor who specialised in running clinical trials from Cardiff that have improved treatment for men with prostate cancer.
- Our scientists in Cardiff are running a series of important trials to improve detection and treatment of lung cancer. This includes the largest lung cancer trial in the world, involving people from over 150 UK hospitals. Detecting lung cancer at an early stage would help more people beat the disease.
In South and Mid Wales
- 14,500 people are diagnosed with cancer each year.
- 38-54% of cancers are diagnosed early.
- We spent over £4m on life-saving research in 2020/21.
We receive no government funding for our research. Our life-saving work relies on the money you give us.
Cancer news
From cutting edge science and debunking myths to patient stories, read the latest news, analysis and opinion on our news site.
Our strategy to beat cancer sooner
Our vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.Our new strategy will give us the foundations we need to tackle the challenges ahead.