The Trust was founded in 1988 at the Royal Free Hosiptal and named The Ronald Raven Cancer Research Trust in memory of Mr Raven who was one of the first specialised oncology surgeons. It was established to support a chair in Medical Oncology with the intention of providing facilities for cancer research as well as a fully integrated cancer care service.

Professor Richard Begent was the first appointee to the Chair. With the expansion of his team associated with the development of promising new treatments for cancer, an appeal was launched in January 2006 to build a Treatment Trials Centre. £4 million was raised or pledged within a few months.

In June 2006, laboratory space unexpectedly became available at the new UCL Cancer Institute and it was propsed that the work of the Trust should be transferred to the UCL site, with clinical trials beds and treatment facilities at the adjacent new University College Hospital. This had the advantage of providing not only the finest possible laboratory and hospital facilities but ensured complete collaboration and integration of all medical expertise of three major teaching hospitals and the important associated hospitals. Because of these changes, the Trust name was changed to UCL Cancer Institute Research Trust.

the way ahead

The UCL Cancer Institute already has some of the world's leading cancer research groups with a combined grant income of more than £14 million per annum. Under the Direction of Professor Chris Boshoff, cancer research and medicine across UCL is being brought together, helping to ensure that promising new developments in the laboratories can be rapidly translated to the clinical setting, benefiting patients.

With the opening of the new UCL Cancer Institute, there is an opportunity to double the number of cancer researchers at UCL, to focus on particularly difficult-to-treat cancers, and cancer types where UCL-affiliated hospitals have special clinical expertise. The aim is to recruit new research groups studying the biology and genetic basis of these cancers, and ultimately developing novel therapies.

We are looking to raise a total of £12 million over the next five years to defeat cancer faster.

Where the money will go:

• Establishing a Cancer Genomics Initiative in the new Institute (~£1.5 million per year)
• The development of novel antibody, small molecule and gene therapies for cancer. Enabling rapid transfer of these therapies to the clinic (~£500,000 per annum)
• The development of a Information Complex on one of the Institute terraces, providing an additional space for computational sciences, for teaching, studying and most importantly, interaction between scientists (~£750,000).

total income for the UCL Cancer Institute (2007-2008)