Some €2.6 million will be spent on cancer research in Irish hospitals and universities this year by Cancer Research Ireland (CRI), the research arm of the Irish Cancer Society.
About €2.3 million will be spent on scientific projects and studies on the psychological care of people with cancer. The remaining funds will be spent on cancer clinical trials by the Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group.
Prof Cliona O'Farrelly, chairwoman of CRI, said this investment in research was "crucial in improving the outlook for all cancer patients in Ireland".
One project aims to find ways of identifying patients most likely to develop an invasive form of bladder cancer. The three-year project, led by Dr Amanda McCann at University College Dublin, is studying samples donated by 350 patients at Dublin's Mater Hospital.
Dr Graham Pidgeon, of St James' Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, is studying two proteins that have been implicated in lung cancer tumour cell survival.
The funding details were revealed at the launch of the annual Terry Fox Runs at UCD yesterday. The fun-runs, which raise money for cancer research, will be held in about 60 locations on Sunday, October 15th.
In 1980, Terry Fox set out to run across his native Canada to raise funds for cancer research after he lost a leg to bone cancer. He ran almost 3,500 miles over 143 days but died before he could finish his journey.
The annual Terry Fox runs are now the world's largest single-day fundraiser for cancer research. Last year the Terry Fox Runs in Ireland raised almost €300,000.
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