Breakthrough Cancer Research
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Breakthrough Cancer Research is an Irish medical research charity investing in world-class research to impact the quality of life for people with cancer.
Our Charitable Purpose, for which the company (which has charitable status) is established, is the raising and application of money and other resources for the purpose of education, and research and development, in the field of cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Registered Charity Number: 20077945
23/09/2026
🩵 Our National Flag Day Collections are underway! 🩵
Around World Cancer Research Day every September, our incredible volunteers take to towns, cities and communities across Ireland to collect in support of Breakthrough Cancer Research.
Every donation helps fund vital cancer research across Ireland, supporting more than 200 researchers working towards new, better, kinder, smarter and more effective ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer.
🌍 From busy streets to local shopping centres, these collections are powered by the generosity of communities across the country and by the volunteers who give their time to make them possible.
🙌 A huge thank you to everyone collecting on our behalf, and to every person who stops to donate, say hello or show their support. Every contribution helps of cancer through research.
📅 Keep an eye out for our collectors throughout September. Your support can help make the next breakthrough possible.
A persistent cough can be one of the earliest symptoms of lung cancer, but the receptors involved in coughing have not yet been fully explored in lung cancer research.
In this video, Dr. Diarmuid O’Connor at St. James’s Hospital and Trinity College Dublin explains how his research is investigating TRPA1, a receptor involved in cough signalling, and the role it may play in lung cancer.
By studying TRPA1 in lung tumour samples and lung cancer cells grown in the laboratory, researchers hope to better understand whether it is linked to how lung cancer develops, progresses or responds to treatment. This early-stage research could help lay the foundations for future research into new, better and more targeted treatment options for people with lung cancer.
Dr. O’Connor’s research is supported through a Breakthrough Cancer Research Innovation Grant 2024, in partnership with Royal London Ireland.
🩵 By supporting Breakthrough Cancer Research, you’re helping to make vital cancer research possible. Become a monthly donor here: https://breakthroughcancerresearch.ie/donate-now/
Royal London Ireland | Trinity College Dublin
20/09/2026
Today is World Gynecologic Oncology Day 🩵
Across Ireland, researchers are working to better understand gynaecological cancers, detect them earlier and develop new and more effective ways to treat them.
Today, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate the work they are doing:
🔬 Dr. Sharon O’Toole is identifying biomarkers that could help diagnose ovarian cancer earlier and who might respond to treatment.
🧬 Dr. Neil Conlon is developing more precise treatments for breast and gynaecological cancers, with the aim of improving outcomes while reducing the impact on healthy cells.
🔬 Ellen Treacy is investigating why ovarian cancer can become resistant to chemotherapy and whether targeting specific proteins could help treatments work better.
🧪 Dr. Marion Butler is investigating drug resistance in ovarian cancer and searching for new treatment options when chemotherapy stops working.
🎯 Luna Stockmann is testing targeted drug combinations that could help overcome treatment resistance in ovarian cancer.
🧬 Dr. Caroline Marion is developing natural killer cell therapies designed to strengthen the immune system’s ability to target ovarian cancer cells.
🔬 Mark McInerney is engineering CAR-T cells to help them better detect and reach solid tumours, including ovarian cancer.
Swipe through to learn more about their research 👉
Your support helps fund research into new, better, kinder, smarter and more effective treatments and diagnostics for people with cancer.
🩵 Help us by supporting cancer research here: https://breakthroughcancerresearch.ie/donate-now/
Trinity College Dublin | DCU | Maynooth University | University of Galway
What if we could 3D print tiny models of human tissue to help test cancer treatments?
In this video, Dr. Olwyn Mahon, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Limerick , explains how 3D bioprinting is being used to create mini human tissues that mimic structures in the body.
By incorporating cells into these models, researchers can study how they respond to different drugs and therapies in a setting that more closely represents what happens in the human body - before potential treatments reach people with cancer.
This research could help us better understand how cancers respond to different therapies and support the development of safer, more personalised approaches to treatment.
🩵 By supporting Breakthrough Cancer Research, you’re helping to make vital cancer research possible. Become a monthly donor here: https://bit.ly/BreakthroughDonate
Limerick Digital Cancer Research Centre
16/09/2026
🔬 We are proud to jointly fund two new cancer research projects through the HRCI–HRB Joint Funding Scheme.
Working with the Health Research Board, we’re supporting researchers exploring new and better ways to understand, detect and treat cancer.
Our two projects are part of a wider €3.1 million investment across 12 innovative health research projects, supported by eight health research charities through the HRCI–HRB Joint Funding Scheme.
For us, this latest round will support two very different areas of cancer research:
🫁 Dr. Martin Barr at Trinity College Dublin will investigate a newly recognised form of cell death called ferroptosis in lung adenocarcinoma.
His team will explore whether a group of ferroptosis-related genes could help predict outcomes for people with lung cancer and investigate whether drugs that trigger ferroptosis could slow tumour growth, including in cancers that have become resistant to existing treatments.
💙 Prof. Patrick Redmond and the PRiCAN team at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences will lead YO-FIT, a three-year study looking at a simpler route to investigating bowel symptoms in younger adults.
Adults aged 18–49 with bowel symptoms will be able to request a home FIT test online, by telephone or through their GP practice without first needing a GP appointment. The research will examine whether this approach is practical, acceptable, accessible and safe, with the aim of supporting more timely investigation of symptoms.
Congratulations to Martin, Patrick and their research teams. 👏
Through partnerships like the HRCI–HRB Joint Funding Scheme, we can continue supporting research into new, better, smarter, kinder and more effective ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer.
15/09/2026
📢 Upcoming Webinar for Health and Social Care Professionals – Save the Date
The Irish Cancer Prevention Network is pleased to present a webinar on:
Cancer Prevention in Action: Research Findings and Health Promotion Successes
🗓 Wednesday, 14th October 2026
⏰ 11:30am–1:00pm
💻 Online via Zoom
The webinar will cover new research findings, highlight successful initiatives, and showcase practical cancer prevention projects from across Ireland.
🎙 Featuring:
• A summary of key findings from the 2026 National Cancer Awareness & Attitudes Among the General Population
• Reducing cancer risk: Radon
• Cancer risk factors and barriers and enablers to cancer prevention among Travellers in Ireland
• East Limerick Traveller Project: helping to break down barriers to cervical screening
• Case studies from the ongoing work of Senior Health Promotion & Improvement Officers in cancer prevention
👉 Health and Social Care Professionals are invited to register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-z-nC-vNSIGB64Ql77HpAQ #/registration
14/09/2026
Do you know the five main gynaecological cancers?
Ahead of on 20 September, we’re joining the Irish Network for Gynaecological Oncology in encouraging women across Ireland to Know the Five, know the signs and know when to seek advice.
Across the island of Ireland, approximately 2,000 gynaecological cancers are diagnosed each year. New Irish research has highlighted significant gaps in awareness of gynaecological cancers.
While 93% of women surveyed had heard of cervical cancer and 92% had heard of ovarian cancer, awareness fell to 66% for uterine cancer, 54% for vaginal cancer and just 37% for v***a cancer.
The five main gynaecological cancers are:
Cervical • Ovarian • Uterine • Vaginal • V***a
Each can have different symptoms, risk factors and approaches to prevention and early detection. There is also no screening programme for ovarian, uterine (also called womb or endometrial cancer), vaginal or v***a cancer, making awareness of persistent or unusual symptoms particularly important.
Swipe to learn some of the signs and symptoms to be aware of, and speak to your GP or healthcare professional if you notice a persistent or unusual change.
🔗 Find out more about World GO Day and gynaecological cancers at thisisgo.ie
13/09/2026
A gift in your Will can leave a lasting impact far beyond your lifetime. 🩵
On 13 September, International Legacy Giving Day, we are highlighting how a gift in your Will can help fund research into new, better, kinder, smarter, and more effective treatments and diagnostics for people with cancer.
Writing or updating your Will does not need to be difficult or expensive. Through our Free Will Service, supporters and their partners can create a simple Will free of charge using an online Will-writing service through FreeWill Ireland.
A gift in your Will, no matter the size, can make a lasting contribution to cancer research and help us .
👉 Learn more about our Free Will Service here: https://bit.ly/WillService
Why are more people under 50 being diagnosed with cancer?
In this video, Dr. Ashleigh Russell, Medical Oncologist at Queen's University Belfast , explains how her research is exploring early-onset cancers - cancers diagnosed in adults under the age of 50.
By analysing cancer data and listening to the experiences of younger people diagnosed with cancer, her work aims to better understand why these cancers are becoming more common, how they behave and respond to treatment, and the unique challenges younger adults can face following a diagnosis.
Ultimately, this research could help support earlier diagnosis and prevention, identify treatments that work best for younger adults, and improve the support available to people diagnosed with cancer at a younger age.
🩵 By supporting Breakthrough Cancer Research, you’re helping to make vital cancer research like this possible. Become a monthly donor here: https://bit.ly/BreakthroughDonate
What happens when a company commits to supporting cancer research for the long term? 🔬
For more than a decade, Musgrave colleagues, retailers and customers have come together to support Breakthrough Cancer Research, raising more than €1.7 million for cancer research.
Since 2018 alone, that support has funded eight PhD scholars, helping talented researchers build careers and pursue research into new, better, kinder, smarter treatments and diagnostics for people with cancer.
We were delighted to join Musgrave Gives Back 2026, where colleagues and their families met some of the researchers their fundraising is helping to support and even inspire a few future scientists along the way!
Long-term partnerships give research the time and support it needs to grow. We are incredibly grateful to everyone at Musgrave who continues to be part of that journey.
Your support could help make the next breakthrough possible. Be part of what comes next.
🎥 Watch the full video on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/wwoJDUps9QE
Musgrave MarketPlace | Centra Ireland | SuperValu Ireland
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