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Today, Cancer Research UK announced that it’s awarding $87 million to four research teams as part of its Grand Challenge, an initiative that seeks to tackle the unresolved aspects of cancer care.
“Cancer is a global problem, and these projects are part of the global solution,” said Cancer Research UK CEO Sir Harpal Kumar. “Together, we will redefine cancer–turning it from a disease that so many people die from to one that many people can live with. We will reduce the number of people worldwide affected by cancer and achieve our goal of beating cancer sooner.”
CRUK’s decision to fund four projects is a far cry from its original plans to sponsor just one per year. But the charity says that there were simply too many exciting options to cull the herd.
The four winning teams will be exploring: new ways to prevent cancer from forming in the first place; how to best map out tumors; strategies for determining which patients are at the highest risk for developing cancer and need treatment; and a virtual reality map of breast cancer.