Cancer Research UK, a cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom, is planning to invest GBP45m in its network of clinical trial units across the United Kingdom, it was reported on Friday.

The investment is intended to allow clinicians to develop treatments and tests for cancer patients. The funding has been allocated to be spent over five years across eight clinical trial units in Cardiff, Birmingham, Glasgow, Southampton, Leeds and London. The clinical trials units are involved in the designing, delivery and analysis of trials, helping to benefit patients from the latest scientific developments. Each of the Cancer Research UK's clinical trial units include a different specialist concentrating on children's cancer trials, cancer screening and population research.

Cancer Research UK chief clinician, professor Charles Swanton, said, 'Our clinical research enables us to translate discoveries from the lab in order to improve cancer diagnostics and treatments, giving more patients the best chance of beating their disease. This is particularly important for patients with hard to treat cancers, including pancreatic, oesophageal, lung and brain tumours, where options for treatment are limited and survival rates remain poor.'