Established in 2022, the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre brings together the very best in cancer research from Edinburgh and Glasgow with the unifying mission to translate cutting-edge discoveries into promising therapeutic opportunities for the Scottish population.
The CRUK Scotland Centre is led by Prof Charlie Gourley (Clinical Director) and Prof Owen Sansom (Scientific Director). Our research focuses on cancers that profoundly affect people in Scotland, and cancers in which we have a growing expertise.
Collaborating across over 80 teams, we support research activities in both the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, including the Institute of Genetics and Cancer in Edinburgh and the School of Cancer Sciences and CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow.
Our scientists work closely with the Glasgow and Edinburgh Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres and Clinical Trials Unit and benefit from unprecedented access to the two largest cancer treatment centres for patients in Scotland, the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and the Western General Hospital.
“The new Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre will bring some of the best scientists in Scotland together to tackle some of the biggest cancer challenges that matter to people across Scotland.
We will have a relentless focus on tackling cancers which affect the people around us, drawing on expertise built up over many decades.”
– Owen Sansom, Co-Director of CRUK Scotland Centre
Our vision is to translate innovative, scientific findings into patient benefit. We draw on our considerable expertise in the biology of early disease, cancer metabolism, tumour microenvironment and metastasis. We aim to develop a translational pipeline where fundamental discoveries are fed through preclinical models and trials, and ultimately into the establishment of a clinical research programme. We invest in infrastructure in the local research space, boosting our scientific agenda, which is directed at six tumour-focused themes:
- Colorectal Cancer
- Hepatobiliary Cancer
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Brain Tumours
- Gynaecological Cancer
Underpinning these individual research strands, we have created an additional Data theme. Not only do we aspire to unlock the full potential of the vast datasets from Scottish cancer patients, spanning the whole cancer journey from screening and diagnosis to treatment – but our goal is to also provide infrastructure that enables the management and sharing of data across the Centre and beyond.
The location of the CRUK Scotland Centre facilitates our strong partnerships with the NHS Health Boards, Lothian and Greater Glasgow & Clyde, the Beatson Cancer Charity, as well as biomedical research institutes across both Universities. This is further enhanced by the support of Cancer Research UK, the National Mouse Genetics Network (supported by MRC) and the invaluable contributions of our colleagues and collaborators within the wider network of Cancer Research UK centres and institutes.
Together, for the people in Scotland, we aim to increase survival and prevent cancer.