University of Cambridge launches Early Cancer Institute for complex cancers

The University of Cambridge has launched the Early Cancer Institute (ECI) as a site committed to identifying and researching early-stage cancers, including pancreatic and lung cancers.

Based at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the ECI will be situated alongside academic, medical and pharmaceutical specialists, with up to 120 scientists based at the institute. The institute will be in good company, as the campus already houses two research hospitals: Addenbrooke's and Royal Papworth and the Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

For many patients, late diagnosis is common. Speaking on the need for early cancer detection, the ECI’s director, Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, stated: "Outcomes can be transformed if the cancer is diagnosed early enough and we have the right treatments."

She added that “people have tended to shy away from researching early cancer” and highlighted the fact that without meaningful progress in early-stage cancer research “we are not going to improve survival rates for the majority of our patients".

The campus was one of only four places in the world committed to life sciences, and is notably the biggest in Europe. Fitzgerald spoke on the importance of the site’s location in Cambridge, remarking on its “rich history of making huge strides in cancer research".

Professor Fitzgerald and her team have a strong background in complex cancers, having been responsible for creating the ‘cytosponge’ test for Barrett's oesophagus. The test has been proven to detect oesophageal cancer in time for it to be treated, and involves patients being administered a pill that dissolves into a sponge. The sponge is then pulled back up the oesophagus, collecting cells from the lining on its way.

Given that only one in eight oesophageal cancer patients (12%) survive for ten or more years, transformative tests like the cytosponge have the ability to positively impact patient outcomes.

A campaign to fundraise £20m for a facilities upgrade in the Hutchison Building at the campus is also underway. Additionally, the funds would be put towards the recruitment of more newly qualified researchers to bolster the institute’s R&D teams.