About the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute

The CRUK Manchester Institute is a leading cancer research institute within The University of Manchester, spanning the whole spectrum of cancer research - from investigating the molecular and cellular basis of cancer, to translational research and the development of therapeutics.

We are one of Cancer Research UK’s core-funded institutes which means the majority of our research is supported by the public, something which is always at the front of our minds. We are incredibly grateful for this support and offer fundraisers the opportunity to visit the Institute on our open days.

The Institute comprises over 350 Postdoctoral Scientists, Clinical Fellows, Scientific Officers, Operational and Technical staff, Postgraduate Research Students and Visiting Fellows and we pride ourselves on being as much a community as a workplace. We have cutting edge laboratory facilities and outstanding core services, including genomic sequencing, confocal microscopy, bioinformatics, histology, and access to mass-spectrometry based proteomics.

Our new research facility is currently being built and will support our ambitions of integrated basic and clinical translational cancer research. It will bring together a critical mass of scientists and clinicians on The Christie NHS Foundation Trust site to collaborate and accelerate progress for patients through integrated advances in the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer. The new building, opening in Spring 2023, will contain our world leading Cancer Biomarker Centre, provide state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and will be one of the top cancer research centres in the world. The 9-storey building, in the heart of Manchester, will replace the Paterson Building which suffered a devastating fire in 2017. Until its completion, the Institute is currently based at the life sciences campus at Alderley Park in Cheshire and in the Oglesby Cancer Research Building in Manchester.

The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute is at the heart of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC). The MCRC is a virtual partnership formed in 2006 in order to consolidate links between The University of Manchester, Cancer Research UK and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. The Christie is the largest single site cancer hospital in Europe, treating more than 60,000 patients per year. Much of our research is driven by access to the MCRC Tissue Biobank, a resource of more than 150,000 samples. We also work in close collaboration with research groups from The University of Manchester’s Division of Cancer Sciences many of whom are located in neighbouring labs and actively participate in our seminar, research and education programmes. We also have strong collaborative links with other University departments including pharmacy and The Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, through to materials and computer sciences.