With Precision Oncology Ireland receiving a second round of funding, what will this mean for the future of cancer research?
A cancer research collaboration, led by the UCD-based Systems Biology Ireland, has secured a new round of funding from Research Ireland following a successful pilot programme.
Precision Oncology Ireland (POI) – an association of universities, charities, and enterprises, of which UCD is a partner university – aims to tailor personalised treatment for cancer patients to “derive more benefits” from medication. POI’s goal is to provide “the right doses, at the right time” to improve patients’ lives. Currently, only 20-30% of those living with cancer respond to medicine – leaving the remainder with none of the benefits, and all of the side effects.
POI, as Ireland’s largest cancer research programme, hopes to change this through modern technology. Using computer models, researchers can analyse cellular makeup to identify health issues at a molecular level. Additionally, innovations in AI development have aided researchers: using the tool to blend large amounts of a patient’s data, POI are able to create their “digital twin” to simulate reactions to different treatments.
POI has been at the vanguard of Irish cancer research since its launch in late 2019. Programme Director Professor Walter Kolch notes how prior to their establishment Ireland’s cancer research was fragmented – studies were carried out separately across different sectors. POI’s first phase changed this, helping build a “community of cancer research” involving many stakeholders. Gone are the days, he says, of individual scientists “sitting in the ivory tower…coming up with good ideas” alone – teams are now necessary for scientific progression.
Prof. Kolch has praised this work, believing its success secured the new funding. While it will allow POI to continue their current work, there will be some improvements. He emphasizes expanding patient involvement in phase two, as POI will now have a dedicated outreach budget. He also indicates patient-cancer cell interactions will be analysed – previously POI focused on how cancer cells behaved.
Another key aim for the new phase is to translate lab-based research into real-world treatment. Prof. Kolch, noting the association’s expansion to involve more clinicians, wants to bring some of the “great technologies in the lab” into clinics to build on the work the first phase achieved.
With nearly 10,000 deaths in Ireland per year from cancer, the need for research from associations such as POI is urgent. This new funding, if applied successfully, could prove the difference between a breakthrough and stagnation.