Merger augurs "new era" in UK cancer research:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The UK leading cancer charities Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund are to join together as Cancer Research UK. The merger, due to take effect in early February 2002, will have an annual R&D budget of £130 million ($186 million), making it the "biggest independent cancer research organisation in the world", say the charities. With a "shared vision to conquer cancer through world class research", they aim to combine their complementary strengths to "push through new and effective treatments faster than ever before". Imperial Cancer is considered to be at the forefront of exploratory science, while the CRC is described as Europe`s leader in anti-cancer drug development. The Medical Research Council (MRC) has welcomed the news. Professor Sir George Radda, MRC chief executive and current chair of the National Cancer Research Institute, billed it a "new era in cancer research".