People in Ireland who are suffering with cancer of the blood will have the opportunity to be among the first in the world to test new potentially life-saving drugs and treatments, following the launch of a new national clinical research network.

The newly established Blood Cancer Network Ireland (BCNI) is a virtual clinical research network that will offer early-stage haematology clinical trials - in other words, it will allow Irish patients to take part in trials for new drugs and treatments.

Around 10% of all cancers in Ireland are blood cancers and they are the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Ireland. Around 1,500 people are newly diagnosed every year with blood cancers, such as leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma.

According to the Irish Cancer Society, which along with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is investing €2.2 million in the network, BCNI hopes to make novel drugs and treatments available to blood cancer patients throughout the country over the next five years.

The first clinical trials being rolled as part of the network will offer hope to patients, particularly those with cancers that are considered difficult to treat. Patients with multiple myeloma and acute myeloid leukaemia will be among the first to take part in early phase clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of experimental, but potentially life-saving drugs, that are in development.

The aim of early stage clinical trials is to test the safety, efficacy, dosage and side-effects of new treatments among a small number of patients. These patients are usually at an advanced stage of their disease and such trials are the first step in the licensing process in the development of experimental treatments.

BCNI will be established nationwide through clinical research facilities in St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and NUI Galway. The Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group (ICORG) will also be a partner in this national network.

Part of the work of the new network will be to establish a blood cancer biobank to collect and analyse patient samples to further scientists' knowledge and understanding of blood cancers. An enhanced registry will also be established in association with the National Cancer Registry of Ireland, to collect information about the treatment, outcomes, and quality of life of patients with blood cancers in Ireland.

"This investment will put Ireland on the map in terms of developmental therapeutics in blood cancers. We are now in a position to attract cutting edge phase I/II trials to Ireland giving Irish patients the earliest access to promising new treatments, while the development of a dedicated biobank and registry will greatly enhance our efforts in the areas of translational, population and health economics research.

"Overall, this investment will have many potential benefits - it will make Ireland internationally competitive in blood cancer research, increase access to expensive medicines free of charge with consequent savings to the taxpayer, enhance research and development in Ireland, contribute to job creation, and most importantly of all, benefit patients," commented BCNI director, Prof Michael O'Dwyer of NUI Galway.

Also commenting on the new network, the ICS's head of research, Dr Robert O'Connor, emphasised that this will ‘bring new hope for blood cancer patients across the country'.

"The ICS is investing in research that is making a real difference to patient lives and this investment is another example of the vital and impactful cancer research that is being facilitated thanks to the support of members of the public who donate to us. Blood Cancer Network Ireland is the second collaborative cancer research initiative to be rolled out by the ICS and ultimately it will give blood cancer patients new treatment options and hope for the future," he added.