Manchester has been at the forefront of cancer therapy and research for over a century with the Christie Hospital opening its doors in 1901. When it joined with The University of Manchester and Cancer Research UK in 2006 the organisation became Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) and now leads the way on a global stage with its MCRC Biobank, High Energy Proton Beam Therapy and ground-breaking trials for mobile cancer screening units and new drugs like Osimertinib.

MIDAS work with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) which provides links with CRUK’s Drug Discovery Unit working with industry partners to help drive the translation of research breakthroughs in the lab into new treatments for patients as quickly and cost-effectively as possible. In partnership with University College London, Manchester hosts our Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence. By working together with internationally renowned scientists and clinicians, CRUK-MI have a real and exciting opportunity to make significant advances in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care of lung cancer.

Manchester’s Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre is the strategic lead for the Precision Medicine working group which looks at ways of offering standardised molecular profiling and developing initiatives for access to clinical trials and targeted agents matched to genomic findings.

ECMC collaborates with other ECMCs in the North of England to increase opportunities for patients to participate in early phase clinical trials including trials with targeted therapies.

Genomics and Clinical Trials

Genomic medicine and diagnostics lead the way in the cancer treatment and MIDAS are proud of our links with the city’s Centre for Genomic Medicine. The Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine has an active programme of research exploring ways to increase the ability to personalise diagnosis, to understand the effect of gene changes, to predict response to drugs and to offer patients new treatment opportunities.

As part of the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre they link academic scientists with genomic medicine services, state of the art clinical trials facilities and the latest genomic technologies. Consequently, Manchester’s genomic medicine infrastructure is directly allowing implementation, development, and delivery of precision medicine.

MIDAS maintains a close working relationship with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) who can gather information about patient populations and care pathways helping innovators to match suitable patients to relevant studies, making the trial process in Manchester quicker and more efficient.