Funding

The University of Sheffield and the charity Yorkshire Cancer Research have worked together to develop a new multi-million-pound fund, available exclusively to researchers at all career levels at the University, which will lay the foundation for ground-breaking cancer research in years to come.

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Cancer research funding for Sheffield

In 2005, pioneering research at the University of Sheffield, funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, successfully demonstrated how PARP inhibitors could be used as a tailored treatment for patients with BRCA mutations.

The discovery was patent-protected and licensed to KuDOS, a pharmaceutical company later acquired by AstraZeneca, who continued the development process and undertook successful clinical trials. This resulted in the development of three drugs called Lynparza, Zejula and Talzenna.

Lynparza – a PARP inhibitor also known as olaparib – became the first cancer drug targeting an inherited genetic fault to be made available on the NHS. 

This work has enabled Yorkshire Cancer Research to establish two funds, ringfenced for University of Sheffield staff: the Yorkshire Cancer Research Sheffield Pioneers fund and the Yorkshire Cancer Research More Life to Live fund (included under the Yorkshire Cancer Research scheme called 'For More Life Without Cancer').

Read more on the pioneering work that led to the generation of this new fund

Yorkshire Cancer Research Sheffield Pioneers fund 2023

Yorkshire Cancer Research More Life to Live fund 2023

Wider cancer research funding opportunities

University of Sheffield researchers are funded from a range of funders, including the Medical Research Council and other UK Research & Innovation councils, charities such as Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust and industrial sponsors.

University of Sheffield staff can find out more about the latest opportunities here

Would you like to join us at the University of Sheffield?  

Please contact the team at cancer_research@sheffield.ac.uk in the first instance to find out more about available funding and opportunities.

University of Sheffield Staff can find out more here