Breast Predict cancer research collaboration announced

Project will see €7.5m invested in research centre involving oncology specialists

Researchers will share resources and expertise in a project designed to predict the best treatment options for breast cancer patients. Photograph: Getty Images
Researchers will share resources and expertise in a project designed to predict the best treatment options for breast cancer patients. Photograph: Getty Images

Details of a new multi-million euro cancer research collaboration have been announced by the Irish Cancer Society.

The Breast Predict project will see €7.5m invested over five years in a research centre involving Irish breast cancer specialists.

The researchers will share resources and expertise in a project designed to predict the best treatment options for breast cancer patients.

Breast Predict will be the first of five such centres and will lead large-scale projects in the oncology area.

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According to the Irish cancer society, it will be the only breast cancer collaborative research centre in the world that can track patients over a long period.

The project will provide centralised access to resources, particularly patient samples, and technical expertise, leading to an integrated breast cancer database.

"The Collaborative Cancer Research Centre will for the first time in Ireland harness the wealth of data available on breast cancer from around the globe to inform new clinical trials and treatments," said UCD Professor William Gallagher.

“The ultimate goal of this research is personalised medicine, which allows us to tailor therapy towards individual patients based on the characteristics of their particular tumour and, thus, improve outcomes for breast cancer patients both in Ireland and worldwide,” he added.

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin is an Irish Times journalist