A new £28.5m research centre that will transform cancer treatment opens today in Manchester.
The University of Manchester building in Withington will be home to researchers from the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) – a partnership between Cancer Research UK, The University of Manchester and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
The 65,000sq ft facility houses 250 research staff and has been designed to maximize the sharing of ideas and collaborations between scientists and clinicians.
The state-of-the-art facility, located opposite The Christie and the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, is set to pull in more world-class scientists to the city, boosting research and helping to get improved treatments to patients faster.
Director of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Professor Nic Jones, said: “I am thrilled to see the building open as it looks absolutely fantastic.
“The new research centre will make a tremendous difference to the way cancer is treated in the future.
“The new facilities will allow us to progress personalised cancer treatments which will be the way forward for future generations diagnosed with the disease.
“We will know more about an individual patient’s disease characteristics which will help to lead directly to better treatments and outcomes.”
“The new centre will attract world class scientists and help to save thousands of lives both here and around the world.”
Cancer remains one of the major healthcare challenges worldwide, in the UK and in the North West.
In Greater Manchester alone, about 13,200 people are diagnosed with the disease every year – that’s 36 people affected every day.
An open day will be held in the new building on Saturday June 20. Members of the public are welcome to attend between 10am and 4pm.
