University of Galway Scientists Secure €1.4m For Breast Cancer Research
By Finn Byrne
A new €1.4 million five-year project has been secured by research scientists at University of Galway to drive the next generation of cancer care.
The research is funded by €700,000 from the National Breast Cancer Research Institute (NBCRI), which is matched by Taighde Éireann (Research Ireland).
The Precision Oncology Ireland programme will support research by Professor Róisín Dwyer, Professor Aoife Lowery and Professor Michael Kerin, all of whom are based at the University’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and the Lambe Institute, linking translational and clinical research.
The new commitment by NBCRI to breast cancer research at University of Galway builds on the Signature Partnership with the charity which was announced in May 2025.
Caroline Loughnane, Chairperson of the NBCRI, said: “The mission of the NBCRI is to raise funds to support world-class breast cancer research at University of Galway. We are delighted to match the funding from Research Ireland to support the Precision Oncology Ireland breast cancer research programme at the Lambe Institute.”
“Partnering with national research consortia and collaborators is critical for sharing knowledge to improve our understanding of breast cancer, with the goal of delivering better treatments for patients.”
The new investment will enable translational breast cancer research, including investigation of the potential for treatment of advanced breast cancer, identification of biomarkers to predict how patients will respond to treatment, and increasing understanding of factors that impact the quality of life of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Precision Oncology Ireland is a consortium of 5 Irish Universities, 6 Irish Cancer Research Charities, and 7 international companies aiming to develop new diagnostics and therapeutics for personalised cancer treatment.
The research partnership is part of Precision Oncology Ireland Phase 2 which was formally launched by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D. The new commitment, extending to 2030, expands the work progressed in the first iteration.
Professor Dwyer, Principal Investigator at University of Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences said: “Precision Oncology Ireland-2 provides a unique ecosystem where experts from a broad range of backgrounds come together to improve quality of life and outcomes for cancer patients.”
“We are delighted to continue our involvement in this impactful consortium and look forward to contributing to development of approaches to ensure patients receive appropriate targeted therapies while minimising side effects.” Professor Dwyer added.
