The Institute of Cancer Research

By 2040 it is expected that there will be 27.5 million new cases of cancer each year and in 2018 there were 9.6 million deaths from the disease worldwide. Since 2005, the ICR has discovered over 20 innovative drug candidates for the treatment of cancer, the largest number by any academic centre in the world, with nine of these progressing to clinical trials.

ICR’s exceptional drug discovery work includes the discovery of Abiraterone, a drug for the treatment of late-stage prostate cancer which was licensed by the USA FDA in 2011 and approved for use on the NHS by NICE in 2012. In addition to this, the Institute’s breakthrough discovery of the breast and ovarian cancer gene, BRCA2, underpinned the development of Olaparib – the first cancer drug approved for use against an inherited genetic mutation. The ICR has the UK’s only Regius Professorship in cancer research.

The Institute’s work is achieving global impact and improved outcomes for patients. Its clinical partnership with The Royal Marsden Hospital enables rapid translation of research results to benefit patients and its drug discovery work has extended the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients around the world.