Cancer Genetics Biomedical Research Unit
£1.5m NISCHR-funded Cancer Genetics Biomedical Research Unit (CGBRU)
The new Cancer Genetics Biomedical Research Unit (CGBRU) has been established to facilitate translation of new genetic knowledge to better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
The Wales Assembly Government awarded a team of 13 Cardiff University clinical and laboratory scientists approximately £1.5M over the next 3 years through a grant from the National Institute of Social and Healthcare Research (NISCHR).
The CGBRU brings together successful groups from the Schools of Medicine and Biosciences and will support their further development through creation of new post-doctoral fellowships. Central to their research will be the ability to investigate the genetic basis of cancer using powerful “next generation” DNA sequencing facilities. These are being established at Cardiff University’s Institute of Medical Genetics through the Wales Gene Park. Both theCGBRU and the Wales Gene Park are also investing in new posts in bioinformatics to enable this work.
The CGBRU will focus on existing areas of research strength in Cardiff University that include DNA damage and repair and cell signalling; their application in the diagnosis and treatment of leukaemia and bowel cancer, and genetic approaches to identifying those at high risk of specific tumours to enable prevention and earlier diagnosis. A further group at Bangor University will join the team to investigate whether recent advances they have made in relation to DNA repair in yeast are also relevant to human cancers. The CGBRU will work closely with the NHS in Wales, building upon a successful track record in medical genetics for turning new research findings into practical advances in clinical medicine.