Kingston University joins London Cancer Hub in bid to accelerate progress against disease

Kingston University is taking a giant step towards helping the diagnosis, treatment and care of cancer patients by joining clinicians and innovators at the London Cancer Hub. 

The collaboration between the University’s academic researchers specialising in cancer, clinic experts and innovators will work to help accelerate progress against cancer at the Hub, based at the London Cancer Hub’s Innovation Gateway - an emerging global centre for cancer research, treatment and commercial innovation anchored by The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

From August, academics from Kingston University’s School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry and the School of Nursing, Allied and Public Health will be based at Innovation Gateway.

The move gives Kingston researchers, based in the University’s Health, Education and Society Knowledge Exchange and Research Institute (HES KERI), direct access to one of Europe's leading concentrations of cancer expertise, creating new opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange and the translation of research into clinical and commercial applications.

They will work alongside researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and a growing cluster of life sciences companies.

The team's expertise spans biomolecular and translational oncology, advanced research methods and technologies, and improving cancer outcomes through research into inequalities, implementation and supportive care.

Kingston University has already been collaborating for several years with teams at the ICR and The Royal Marsden’s Oak Drug Development Unit – a leading early-stage cancer clinical trials centre – to give placements to Kingston students who are studying for a qualification in clinical trial management.

Kingston University’s team includes senior figures Professor Helmout Modjtahedi, Dr Hossein Ashrafi, Dr Ahmed Elbediwy, Dr Athina Myrto Chioni and Professor Shereen El-Nabhani.

Director of Kingston University’s HES KERI Professor Adam Le Gresley said the collaboration will be vital to helping tackle cancer. “Joining the London Cancer Hub community puts our researchers side-by-side with world-leading institutions and industry partners. It's a fantastic opportunity to translate our science — from precision oncology to tackling cancer inequalities — into real impact for patients."

Dr Jon Wilkinson, Director of Business and Innovation at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “We’re very pleased to see Kingston University joining the ecosystem at the Innovation Gateway, which is right next door to our own buildings in Sutton including our flagship Centre for Drug Discovery.

“We are looking forward to collaborating further with partners like Kingston at The London Cancer Hub – a project we have long championed as a route to translate our discoveries into patient benefit, by even further enhancing our work with industry and other partners.”

Olaide Oboh, Managing Director at Populate, said: “The Innovation Gateway was created to bring together the different disciplines needed to accelerate innovation, researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs and businesses working side by side. Kingston University's arrival strengthens that ecosystem and demonstrates the growing appeal of the London Cancer Hub as a place where collaboration can translate research into real-world impact.”

• Find out more about Kingston University's Health, Education and Society Knowledge Exchange and Research Institute.