Oxford is already the second biggest research base under the Imperial Cancer Research Fund umbrella and the new multi-million pound investment boost could make the city a world authority on the killer disease, writes Victoria Owen.

The extra investment will encourage more staff to join the 174-strong team, permit greater in-depth research, and enhance the potential for new cancer treatments and cures.

ICRF clinical research director Dr John Toy said: "Oxford will provide a broad sweep of activity across the whole field of cancer study, from understanding what causes it, how we can stop people getting it and how we can stop tumours from growing. "Every so often we inspect our sites and Oxford came out with flying colours. That's why we are keen to build on that success in the city."

The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for the hospitals where the research will be housed, bid for the investment against the famous Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Although the rival hospital has won separate investment to fund 200 scientists, the Oxford base at the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals will remain the largest outside the ICRF flagship centre in London. Prof Sir Keith Peters, Cambridge University's head of clinical studies, was enthusiastic about the ICRF's investment programme.

He said: "Cancer is such an important subject that I don't think we can afford to be competitive with Oxford.

"The ICRF is in a strong position of having input into Oxford, Cambridge and London, and is taking advantage of the medical infrastructure of all three places.

"Of course we shall be competing in some aspects of our work, but we're likely to be working together at some point.

"We have to see the competition in world terms and we want the full power of both our institutions to be harnessed for this." *Fighting disease is an easier task if doctors know how it can be prevented in the first place.

Professor Valerie Beral is keeping a check on a million women to find out just what happens when they take hormone replacement treat- ment (HRT).

The Oxford University Professor of Epidemiology is working with the ICRF, which hopes that the bank of volunteers will be monitored for other cancer-related research.

Dr John Toy, ICRF clinical research director, said: "Results from such a large group of women are extremely valuable and we hope to expand on Prof Beral's work into other areas. "Through our new epidemiology unit we will be able to build on what we have been worked on already."

Prof Beral is also investigating links between the human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer.

The virus is thought to cause women to become vulnerable to the cancer.

Dr Toy added: "We know there is a causal association between cervical cancer and HPV. If we screen patients for HPV we find that their risk of contracting cervical cancer is much higher."

Story date: Friday 17 December

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