The Bridge: Alumni Newsletter
UCC at the Forefront of New Cancer Treatments
Cancer touches so many Irish families but treatments such as precision oncology and immunotherapy have moved forward and are no longer a distant ambition.
What is precision oncology? Simply put, it is the individual tailoring of treatment to each individual patient. To achieve this for the patient, UCC brings together a team of doctors, scientists, pathologists and data specialists who analyse samples from the patient including, blood, tissue and even stool. The researchers use the samples to look for clues about how a cancer behaves and how well a type of treatment is likely to work for the individual. In the past, doctors relied on a trial-and-error approach, but now we can use these findings to match the right treatment to the right patient at the right time.
Some of the most promising targets for treatment are molecules that sit on the surface of cancer cells or that drive cancer growth inside the cell. Internationally, these are known by names like EGFR, HER2 and MYC, but put simply, they are like switches that tell a cell to grow. When those switches are faulty, they can cause cancer. By identifying which switches are at play in an individual tumour, researchers can design or select treatments that block them. This is what makes the approach so personal and so powerful.
Another exciting development is in the field of immunotherapy – essentially, this is using the body’s own immune system as a boost to fight cancer. It has already transformed treatment for many patients, yet doctors still do not know why some cancers respond brilliantly while others resist. UCC researchers, working with Cork University Hospital, are studying samples from patients before, during and after immunotherapy to find out which markers predict success. These discoveries will guide future strategies so that more patients can benefit.
At Cancer Research @UCC, clinical investigation and trials are coordinated by the HRB funded UCC Cancer Trials Group and supported by the Clinical Research Facility UCC, Cancer Trials Ireland, and the Blood Cancer Network Ireland. The goal is clear and ambitious: to prevent cancer, to detect it earlier, and to deliver therapies that are personal to each patient rather than one size fits all.
Our future ambition is both bold and achievable: the vision is for more academic oncologists, more fellowships for young researchers, and more trials so that precision oncology becomes the norm, not the exception.
UCC is contributing to advances that will make a difference for patients in Cork, in Ireland and beyond. The next stage will be to expand these efforts, by training more specialists and running more clinical trials here.
These developments have been made possible by working with partners and donors, and continued progress will depend on continued perseverance, collaboration and support.
Find out more about these developments and more in the Cancer Research Impact Report 2019-2024
Ways to Get Involved
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