Beaumont RCSI Cancer Centre

RCSI and Cancer Trials Ireland form partnership to advance cancer clinical trials

July 6, 2021 | Blog
RCSI and Cancer Trials Ireland form partnership to advance cancer clinical trials

Cancer trials test new and more effective ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. Trials can involve testing new drugs or combinations of commonly used drugs, new therapies, new ways of treating cancer, or new ways of diagnosing cancer.They may test new radiotherapy schedules, surgical techniques, medical devices, or physical therapies. They can also involve investigating blood samples and tissues.

RCSI and Cancer Trials Ireland have formed a partnership to respond to the Health Research Board’s Cancer trials in Ireland 2021 funding call. This programme seeks to support the establishment of cancer trial delivery  Clusters and a National Cancer Clinical Trials Network with the aim of enabling the development and  delivery of a high-quality portfolio of cancer clinical trials with relevance to health and care needs in Ireland.

The overall goal of the new HRB’s cancer trials funding model  is to support an appropriate infrastructure; enabling Irish patients to access a diverse portfolio of high-quality, safe  and compliant cancer clinical trials in Ireland.

The scheme will provide support for an appropriate entity with a previous track record of providing clinical trial services and supports to act as the national Cancer Clinical Trials Network, to provide  sponsorship oversight, support services and networking activities to the approved Clusters. National Cancer Clinical Trials Network applicants were expected to partner with an academic host institution.

Cancer Trials Ireland has been striving since 1996 to reach the highest level in the international cancer clinical research world, in 2016 the Group is now recognised as an important partner by many of the leading cancer treatment development agencies in the world, both from the academic and pharmaceutical sector. Today it counts more than 95% of Ireland’s cancer treating consultants among its membership working together to develop some of the most exciting new treatments in some of the most challenging and complex areas of clinical research. We pride ourselves on the fact that our work is bringing these new research based treatment options to cancer patients in Ireland with 6727 patients on trial in 2015. With continued support and perseverance this figure is increasing all the time.