Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable heard about exciting progress in delivery of The London Cancer Hub, and the challenges in taking advances in treatment to patients, during a visit to the ICR’s Sutton site.
Accompanied by Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington, Sir Vince was welcomed by representatives of the two main partners in The London Cancer Hub – The Institute of Cancer Research and the London Borough of Sutton.
Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of the ICR, spoke to Sir Vince about our ambitions for the hub – which we believe will increase the number of drugs discovered on the Sutton site, and make it more likely that these drugs will reach patients.
Sir Vince Cable’s visit coincided with the announcement that the London Borough of Sutton has purchased a further 2.23 hectares of NHS land, which will become The London Cancer Hub.
The £14.1 million deal doubles the land previously purchased on the site for cancer research and commercial enterprise – following a £14 million investment to buy 2.22 hectares in 2017.
The deal takes The London Cancer Hub project to the next stage as it will shortly be seeking commercial partners to begin developing buildings on the newly acquired land.
Attracting the brightest and best researchers
Dr Olivia Rossanese, Head of Biology in the Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit, explained how an understanding of the way cancers adapt and evolve was crucial in order to create new treatments that can overcome the development of drug resistance.
During the visit, Ruth Dombey, London Borough of Sutton Council Leader, enthused to Sir Vince about the regeneration benefits the hub could deliver for the local area, and for the wider economy.
She stressed the need to secure investment for transport infrastructure, particularly the desire to extend the existing tram network and increase the frequency of trains to Belmont station.
Another key theme was the importance of mobility of researchers, not only to attract the brightest and best researchers to work at The London Cancer Hub, but also to ensure that researchers at the ICR will continue to be able to collaborate internationally without any immigration or regulatory barriers.
Professor Workman also highlighted the issues arising from the European Medicines Agency leaving the UK, potentially leading to delays in access to treatments for UK patients if a suitable arrangement is not reached as part of the Brexit negotiations.
The group finished the meeting with a visit to the ICR’s Centre for Cancer Imaging, where Sir Vince heard about our work to develop cutting-edge imaging technologies and new treatments using ultrasound beams to attack tumours.
The London Cancer Hub is a collaboration between The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and the London Borough of Sutton, with the support of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the Greater London Authority.
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A magnet for the world's top cancer researchers
Professor Paul Workman, Chief Executive of the ICR, said:
“It’s exciting to reach such an important milestone in creating The London Cancer Hub. Purchasing this new tranche of land now unlocks the site for development, allowing ourselves and the London Borough of Sutton to seek commercial partners with expertise in constructing state-of-the-art life-science parks.
“The London Cancer Hub will be a magnet for the world’s top cancer researchers, clinicians, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, and other innovative enterprises working in a virtuous circle.
“Maintaining an international and globally competitive workforce will be integral to the success of The London Cancer Hub. To achieve this we do need greater clarity on the mobility of researchers and regulatory alignment in the negotiations to exit the European Union.
“It was a pleasure to host Sir Vince Cable and to show him the exciting and deliverable opportunity we have in The London Cancer Hub. We hope that he will support us in making The London Cancer Hub a reality.”