Our policy on cancer innovation
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At Cancer Research UK, we know that innovation is essential to developing our understanding of cancer and how we transform cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. We have experience supporting innovative research from discovery to adoption and work with partners across the health sector to make sure that patients can access new tests, treatments and innovations more quickly.
We develop policy recommendations outlining how the UK and Devolved Nations governments can work with health systems across the four nations to better support innovation adoption and enable innovations to get from bench to bedside as smoothly as possible, so that people affected by cancer can feel the full benefits of cancer research.
Our Innovation Roadmap: From discovery and development to adoption and spread
In the context of cancer, the word ‘innovation’ can mean a lot of things: a new diagnostic test or treatment, a new technology, or a new method of delivering a service. All innovations start as an idea, often from a researcher, that must go through many activities to become something usable and impactful for people affected by cancer. We call this journey the Innovation Roadmap.
Our Innovation Roadmap tool outlines the general process that occurs when a diagnostic test, treatment or technology is developed and delivered into the health system. We describe the different activities that might be involved as an innovation moves ‘from bench to bedside’ and explain why the process can be difficult to navigate. We also offer some recommendations to health and research decision makers on how processes can be streamlined throughout the roadmap.
To demonstrate how an innovation might move along the roadmap, we follow a drug called Zynlonta that Cancer Research UK’s innovation wing, Cancer Research Horizons, helped to develop.
Our policy on genomics for cancer research and care
Genomic testing looks at someone’s complete set of DNA, called a genome. As cancer is essentially a disease of the genome, where genetic changes lead to uncontrolled cell growth that can spread through the body, genomics is key to improving our understanding of the nature of cancer and how we can better prevent, detect and treat it.
The past two decades have seen major developments in the use of genomic testing and medicine in healthcare across the UK. Faster, cheaper genomic testing means it is becoming more common for cancer patients to receive testing as part of their care. Testing could be used to identify someone’s genetic risk of developing cancer, help diagnose cancers more accurately, and match patients to more targeted treatments. Genomics is also becoming ever more important in cancer research. Not only can genomic testing be used to match patients to suitable clinical trials more easily but the data from genomic testing is helping advance research into the biology of cancer.
We believe all patients should have equal access and opportunity to benefit from genomic testing. In our policy statement on genomics for cancer research and care, we offer our recommendations on how the genomic system can be optimised for people affected by cancer, by addressing challenges in delivery of genomic services and taking advantage of exciting developments in both genomic research and medicine.