New report celebrates progress of Wales’ first national cancer research strategy

A new report released to coincide with the 2026 Wales Cancer Research Conference highlights the impact of Wales’ first unified cancer research strategy three years after its launch.

The report ‘Wales’ cancer research strategy, CReSt: Celebrating our collective progress’ marks three years since the Cancer Research Strategy for Wales (CReSt) was introduced in 2022 to strengthen cancer research across Wales through collaboration between universities, the NHS, charities and industry partners.

Developed by Health and Care Research Wales, the National Cancer Team (formerly the Wales Cancer Network), and the Wales Cancer Research Centre, with support from a range of Welsh NHS and academic institutions, the strategy set out a shared national vision to grow research capacity, attract investment and accelerate discoveries that benefit patients across Wales.

The report highlights a wide range of achievements across Wales since 2022, including major research investments, new national partnerships, and important advances in clinical trials.

Among the examples highlighted are pioneering scientific research from Welsh researchers. This includes: a novel Wales-developed viral immunotherapy, TROCEPT-01, which is designed to activate the immune system directly within tumours and is now being tested within a phase I clinical trial and a new £2m programme grant looking at how anti-cancer T-cells in the immune system could be engineered into vaccines to treat colorectal cancer.

Professor Alan Parker, Professor of Translational Virology at Cardiff University and Chief Scientific Officer with Accession Therapeutics said: “I am delighted to see this (TROCEPT-01) technology, originally developed in my laboratory at Cardiff University, progress to the clinical stage.

“Taking an agent from concept through to clinical application represents a significant milestone for cancer research in Wales and is a testament to the thriving end-to-end translational ecosystem that CReSt has helped to nurture here.”

Professor Andy Godkin, consultant gastroenterologist and leading expert on immunotherapy and bowel cancer said: “I am delighted to have secured a Discovery Science Program Grant with Professor Awen Gallimore as co-applicant from CRUK awarded in the Autumn 2025.

“This grant will drive forward our research into protein target discovery in bowel cancer, feeding a pipeline where we design and test vaccines employing these protein targets.

“This work complements our Cancer Research Wales funded clinical trial BiCCC which examines immune modulation in patients after treatment for bowel cancer.

“Collectively we hope these studies drive forward meaningful benefits for patients with bowel cancer in Wales and across the UK.”

Welsh researchers are also leading and delivering major clinical trials supported in their development and delivery by the Centre for Trials Research, aimed at improving treatments for cancer patients.

These include: the OPTIMISE-FLT3 trial, which is investigating improved treatment options for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia, a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer; the PICCOS trial, the first UK randomised controlled trial evaluating a new way of delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen using pressurised aerosol technology to treat cancers that have spread to the peritoneum; and the PATHOS trial, the world’s largest clinical trial in head and neck cancer, which is investigating whether treatment intensity can be safely reduced to minimise long-term side effects while maintaining excellent cancer control.

Together, these studies highlight the growing contribution in Wales to cancer research and the opportunities for patients to participate in new clinical trials.

The report also highlights investments in research infrastructure, new partnerships between universities and NHS organisations, and initiatives to support the next generation of cancer researchers in Wales.

This includes development of the Cardiff Cancer Research Partnership, a partnership between Velindre University NHS Trust, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Cardiff University, aiming to unite leading academics, clinical trialists and stakeholders to deliver the future of bold, complex cancer research to patients in Wales.

Prof Mererid Evans, Director of the Wales Cancer Research Centre, said: “The launch of CReSt in 2022 created a shared direction for cancer research across Wales.

“This report shows how our research community has responded – building new collaborations, securing major funding and delivering clinical trials that have the potential to improve outcomes for cancer patients.

“CReSt focuses on building capacity across areas of research strength in Wales while supporting researchers at every career stage and strengthening the infrastructure needed to deliver world-class research.

“The Wales Cancer Research Centre has played a key role in coordinating delivery of the strategy, supporting researchers, developing collaborative networks and aligning national research priorities.”

Gareth Cross, Director of Health and Care Research Wales, added: “CReSt has given Wales a clear, unified vision for how we advance cancer research, and this report shows just how powerfully our research community has embraced that challenge.

“The progress made over the past three years reflects the commitment of our researchers, clinicians, partners and – most importantly – patients who take part in studies.

“At Health and Care Research Wales, we are proud to support a strategy that is strengthening research capability across the country, attracting investment and enabling pioneering studies to take place here in Wales.

“This collective effort is helping to ensure that people affected by cancer can access new treatments and innovations through worldclass research.”

Professor Richard Adams, National Clinical Research Lead for the Tackling Cancer Through Research Programme, added: “This report demonstrates the real momentum we are building in cancer research across Wales.

“From breakthrough scientific discoveries to large-scale clinical trials, we are seeing Welsh-led research that has the potential to change outcomes for patients.

“What stands out is the collaboration between universities, NHS teams, charities and industry, which is enabling ambitious programmes of work that simply wouldn’t be possible in isolation.

“By continuing to invest in this shared vision, we are laying the foundations for future advances that will improve the lives of people affected by cancer for years to come.”

The CReSt: Celebrating our collective progress report is available online in English and Welsh through the Wales Cancer Research Centre website.