The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has joined a prestigious partnership to enhance its pioneering cancer research and drive more new treatments for patients.

Clatterbridge is now collaborating with the world-renowned Royal Marsden hospital, in London, as part of a Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

Being in a BRC and the new partnership will enhance Clatterbridge’s ability to turn ground-breaking clinical research into fully-fledged treatments at its hospitals and so further improve outcomes for patients. Clatterbridge will work with The Royal Marsden on clinical trials, share best practice and mount joint research funding bids.

BRC status is the latest sought-after accreditation for The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust after it became a Clinical Research Facility (CRF) earlier this year in conjunction with two other Liverpool hospital trusts to boost delivery of early stage clinical research. This follows on from Clatterbridge becoming a collaborator on the Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) with the University of Liverpool.

Clatterbridge’s Medical Director Dr Sheena Khanduri said: “We are delighted that The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre now becomes a partner in a Biomedical Research Centre, in a forward-looking collaboration with The Royal Marsden.

“We will be working with our colleagues in London on many important areas of research, including immunotherapeutics, precision diagnostics and cancer evolution, advanced technologies for cure, precision therapeutics and cancer treatment effects and survivorship.

“Being in a BRC enhances our ability to lead extra and more complex clinical research trials to extend Clatterbridge’s reputation as a leading centre for cutting-edge cancer research globally. It also gives our patients even more access to pioneering research and ground-breaking therapies that will benefit them directly, improving outcomes for cancer patients right across Cheshire and Merseyside.

“I would like to thank everyone who has worked on this bid to achieve BRC status and look forward to an exciting and fruitful partnership with The Royal Marsden.”

Professor David Cunningham, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden and Director of the NIHR BRC at The Royal Marsden and the ICR, said: “I’m extremely pleased to welcome The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre as one of our BRC partners.

“I look forward to collaborating with them to develop innovative new treatments for cancer patients, and I’m thrilled that our partnership will enable more patients to have access to new therapies, advanced technologies and pioneering research that will have a direct impact on their outcomes.”

Clatterbridge’s Director of Clinical Research Professor Christian Ottensmeier added: “Being designated as part of a Biomedical Research Centre is the latest success for Clatterbridge, adding to our CRF and ECMC status.

“It solidifies Clatterbridge in the top tier of cancer research centres and will help to attract further funding and experts in the field to work here. Having a BRC partnership in Liverpool also enhances the research ecosystem regionally and will be welcomed by our academic partners across Merseyside.

“But most of all, it will feed through to the development of new cancer treatments and ways to care for our patients, which can only improve outcomes for them in the future.”