2021 a year in review
We are so grateful to all who have subscribed to the Irish Cancer Society research newsletter this year, thank you so much for your interest and support.
It has been an extremely busy year for the research team as we worked to deliver cancer research funding to researchers all across the country. This year we launched our Research Roadmap, an ambitious five-year plan which will see us invest over €15 million in critical research such as translational lab-based research with a focus on early detection and the the development of new treatments, to cancer clinical trials, as well as survivorship research to improve the care and quality of life of those living with and beyond their cancer.
We have also made strategic investments in areas for which there was a clear unmet research need, for example, through our Covid-Cancer Rapid Response Award we have funded a number of projects that seeks to mitigate the impact that COVID -19 has had on people affected by cancer in Ireland during the ongoing pandemic. We have also funded the research of three consultants working in the cancer field, who will drive forward research in important clinical and translational areas in lung cancer, breast cancer and medical genetics. In addition, we have recently invested in a paediatric oncologist in cancer genetics at Children’s Health Ireland to develop a much needed cancer genetics service for children and their families.
The researchers that we fund have gone above and beyond to deliver world class cancer research. This year we funded over 100 individuals from different professional backgrounds and locations, from academic researchers working in universities, medical doctors and nurses working in hospitals, to allied health professionals working in clinics. We are so grateful for the dedication and hard work of everyone we fund. It is important that we all continue to work together to improve the care and outcomes for all those affected by cancer in Ireland.
We were delighted and extremely fortunate to have a panel of 50 Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) advocates, who work with us in partnership alongside our international scientific reviewers to help us decide what research projects to fund. We welcome all of our new PPI contributors who joined the panel this year, and thank all of our panel for your contribution and for the difference you have made.
We had hoped that we would have the opportunity to host physical events again in 2021, but unfortunately COVID-19 is still prevalent in our community. We were delighted to host a number of webinars on a wide range of topics such as date protection rights for patients, physical activity throughout the cancer journey, and an update on the breast cancer research landscape. We also launched series two of our Decoding Cancer Podcast, which facilitated discussions between researchers and patient advocates on a number research areas including what cancer advice is trustworthy, nutrition, exercise and cancer, and immunotherapy. We hope to be able to plan some in person events in 2022, to get an opportunity to get out and meet you all again, so watch this space!
Looking forward, we have a very exciting year ahead. We will launch our Collaborative Cancer Survivorship Research Centre, an ambitious €4 million centre aimed at developing a multidisciplinary cancer survivorship research programme in Ireland. We will also continue to invest heavily in cancer clinical trials to ensure that Irish patients are getting access to world class cancer care and treatment. We have plans to fund across a number of important translational research areas such as in cancers with unmet needs, poor prognosis cancers, and children’s cancer. A big focus next year will be determining ways in which we can engage with and better support individuals from communities that are typically underrepresented and underserved in Ireland, therefore we will be working hard to ensure that all the activities we do and research we fund are as inclusive and accessible as possible.
Of course none of what we have planned would be possible without the generous donations and support we receive from members of the public. We are extremely grateful for all those who took the time donate or fundraise for the Society, and we hope to have your support again in 2022.
We hope everyone has an enjoyable Christmas, a happy holiday, and a peaceful new year!
The Irish Cancer Society Research and PPI Team,
Claire, Robert, Deirdre, Chris, Niamh, Rebecca, Sháuna and Zahika
