A leading cancer research organization that helped thousands of patients access life-saving new medicines has been forced to close after Cancer Research UK cut its funding.
Last week it was announced that the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) will disband – a devastating blow to future research and trials of vital new treatments to fight the disease.
The NCRI said the closure was due to a lack of funds, but did not provide further details.
Now The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the main source of funding was Cancer Research UK (CRUK), one of the UK’s largest and most well-known charities.
Dame Tessa Jowell, pictured, gave a memorable speech in the House of Lords in January 2018 wearing an experimental hat that treated her brain tumour. During the speech, she stressed the need to fully support cancer research
The UK already has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe, lagging behind Australia, Canada and New Zealand
According to financial records, the charity drew 80 percent of its funding for NCRI in 2020. Insiders have revealed that the remainder has since been withdrawn. CRUK financed about a third of NCRI’s projects and provided office space – an agreement that has also been terminated, according to insiders.
The charity told The Mail on Sunday that NCRI’s closure would not affect the number of patients accessing clinical trials in Britain, but cancer experts strongly disagree.
The UK already has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe, lagging behind Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the number of NHS patients recruited for drug trials has fallen by more than 40 per cent over the past six years.
NCRI was founded in 2001 with the goal of connecting organizations that fund clinical research with scientists and patients, and helping thousands more access breakthrough medicines.
The focus was on forms of the disease – such as brain tumors and childhood cancers – in which pharmaceutical companies did not invest because they would not reap large commercial rewards. The work included helping set up trials to treat glioblastoma, the aggressive form of brain cancer that killed former Labor MP Tessa Jowell, 70, in 2018.
The former Minister of Culture, who became Baroness Jowell in 2015, gave a memorable closing speech at the Lords in which she spoke passionately about the value of medical trials for brain cancer. She had previously announced she was being treated with an experimental electronic skull cap, which would cost £240,000 a year.
The NCRI itself did not set up clinical trials, but brought together funders, researchers and patients. Experts say it changed the way the NHS handled cancer research. “When the NCRI was founded, only two percent of cancer patients had access to clinical trials,” says Professor Lawrence Young, a cancer expert at the University of Warwick. “It’s now 20 percent and NCRI has played a huge role in that increase.”
The number of NHS patients recruited for drug trials has fallen by more than 40 per cent over the past six years
Insiders say the NCRI has struggled financially since the Covid pandemic, largely due to decisions made at CRUK. After the charity withdrew most of its funding in 2020, the NCRI’s total revenue fell from £2.6m to £1.5m that year.
In addition to CRUK’s funds, the NCRI was sustained by donations from other smaller cancer charities, including Blood Cancer UK, Brain Tumor Research and Breast Cancer Now.
A doctor, who worked closely with the NCRI but asked to remain anonymous, says: ‘The NCRI is crucial to the development of cancer research in the UK that can change the way we treat the disease. Closing without replacement is irresponsible and will have a negative impact on cancer patients.
‘Cancer Research UK likes to tell the public that their donations are used to help patients live longer – but that may not always be the case, and this is a clear example of that.’
Other cancer charities expressed concern. “It’s sad that this long-standing collaboration between clinicians and people with lived experience is coming to an end,” said Sarah McDonald, deputy director of research at Blood Cancer UK.
“The collaboration has been successful in identifying unmet needs of people with cancer, helping to develop hundreds of studies, opening thousands of people to new, potentially life-saving treatments.
“Clinical trials are the only way people with cancer can access a new treatment. This announcement does not affect ongoing investigations, but work will be needed to close this gap [created by the loss of the NCRI] connected.’
CRUK said it was proud to have funded NCRI for many years. It said many functions for which the NCRI was established had been fulfilled, adding: ‘It is important to clarify that the NCRI was not a research center and thus is not directly responsible for funding research projects or clinical trials.
‘There are 1,000 cancer clinical trials in the UK. They are funded by a number of different bodies, including Cancer Research UK, other charities, government and industry.
“None of these studies are directly funded or sponsored by the NCRI and the decision to phase out will not limit patients’ ability to access clinical trials. Cancer Research UK remains committed to working with charities, industry and government in the UK and globally to improve outcomes for cancer patients.”