Professor William Gallagher and Professor William Watson will receive the Science Foundation Ireland grant for their four-year ‘OPTi-PREDICT’ project.
Both Professors have a long history working with Irish Cancer Society backed research.
“Improved screening programmes in recent years have led to more and more diagnoses of breast and prostate cancer at an earlier stage,” said Dr Robert O’Connor Head of Research at the Irish Cancer Society.
“This makes the ‘OPTi-PREDICT’ research project all the more important, as it has the potential to make sure treatment is best personalised to the individual’s diagnosis.”
Currently doctors do not have an accurate way of knowing whether many cancers will reoccur once the tumour is removed. The results of this research could allow doctors to recommend patient treatment that is better suited to the needs of the patient, and avoiding more aggressive treatments for low-risk patients.
The funding is part of an overall investment of €40 million into 24 research projects by the Investigators Programme at Science Foundation Ireland, the national foundation for investment in scientific and engineering research.