Royal London Ireland commits €200k to Breakthrough Cancer Research in third year of partnership

Funding targets cancer inequality and research into cancers with the poorest survival rates

• Focus on research and awareness of cancers with the greatest unmet need.
• Total donation exceeds €440k over three years.

Royal London Ireland, one of the leading life insurance and pensions companies in Ireland, has announced that it is continuing its charity partnership with Breakthrough Cancer Research with a further €206k donation for 2026.

This year’s funding will support new research led by Dr Andrew Lyndsey (UCC) into Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive cancerous brain tumour in adults.

Noel Freeley, CEO of Royal London Ireland, commented:

“Our partnership with Breakthrough Cancer Research is very important to everyone in our organisation. We are committed to helping to fund the lifesaving work they do through their ongoing research. Reducing inequalities in cancers with the lowest survival rates can make a meaningful difference to patient outcomes, now and in the years ahead. This aligns with our company’s social impact strategy to help drive meaningful change for wider society.”

Breakthrough Cancer Research’s CEO, Orla Dolan, said:

“Thanks to Royal London Ireland’s exceptional support, we can invest in vital new brain cancer research, an area where greater advances are urgently needed for patients facing this particularly difficult-to-treat disease. With Royal London Ireland’s funding, we have been able to start a new multi year project in partnership with Research Ireland into Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive brain tumour in adults. Glioblastomas claim over 200,000 lives worldwide every year and treatment has stayed largely the same for two decades.

“Research has transformed cancer survival rates, with more people living longer after a diagnosis than ever before. With Royal London Ireland’s support, we can now focus on improving outcomes for cancers that have not yet seen the same progress.”

Cancer is the leading cause of death in adults in Ireland and the National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) estimates that one in two people are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. Inequalities can impact the risk of getting or surviving cancer due to differences in peoples’ health, their opportunity to lead a healthy life, their access to care and the quality of care they receive. Breakthrough Cancer Research focuses on the cancers with the poorest survival outcomes, responsible for almost half of all cancer deaths in Ireland. Its mission is to make more survivors of cancer through research.

The partnership aligns with Royal London Ireland’s commitment to protecting customers and communities from the impact of serious life events, including cancer.

Royal London Ireland is also a proud sponsor of Breakthrough Cancer Research’s Cancer Revolution: Science, Innovation and Hope exhibition. This unique public education and awareness initiative brings hope and celebrates Irish innovation in tackling cancer. This free exhibition is in the St Stephen’s Green shopping centre in Dublin until the end of April.

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Note to the editor.

Previous years’ funding:

Previously, Royal London Ireland’s funding has gone towards the following Breakthrough Cancer Research Innovation Grant projects:

• Project: Development and Modelling of a Non-Specific Symptoms (NSS) Cancer Referral Pathway to Improve Early Detection in Ireland, Prof. Patrick Redmond – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  
  Summary: This project aims to create a new referral pathway to help GPs identify and refer patients with Non-Specific Symptoms (NSS) more efficiently for further testing. By leveraging data analysis and stakeholder engagement, the pathway will streamline the referral process. Supported by national collaborators like the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) and Centric Health, and international partners such as Oxford University and Queen Mary University London, this initiative seeks to transform cancer care in Ireland. The goal is to reduce diagnostic delays and improve survival rates for cancers with poor prognoses.
  
  
• Project: Investigating the Role of TRPA1 in Lung Cancer - Dr. Diarmuid O’Connor – St. James’s Hospital – Trinity College Dublin
  
  Summary: This study focuses on understanding the role of cough receptors in the development of lung cancer, specifically investigating the TRPA1 receptor. The research aims to determine if TRPA1 could be a potential target for future lung cancer treatments. By conducting thorough research, the study hopes to uncover the significance of cough receptors in lung cancer development and explore new treatment possibilities.

About Breakthrough Cancer Research

Breakthrough Cancer Research is an Irish medical research charity focused on cancer. They work to significantly impact the number of children and adults who can survive this disease. They invest in world-class research in Ireland to impact the quality of life for people with cancer and save lives. They are particularly focused on improving outcomes for those cancers, which are poorly served by current treatment options.

The charity is focused on:

• Funding world-class cancer research into poor prognosis cancers, which are poorly served by current treatment options.
• Facilitating collaboration between scientists and clinicians across Ireland and Internationally.
• Accelerating the translation of lab discoveries into new effective treatments for people with cancer.
• Thanks to support and donations they have invested millions in cancer research, funding the development of new treatments for cancer.