The NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR), one of ten new Translational Research Programmes (TRPs) in the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, is developing innovative new ways to detect, cure and prevent cancer by undertaking internationally leading fundamental research that advances the understanding of cancer, and translating these research discoveries into clinical practice to benefit patients. N2CR’s research is focused on understanding key genetic and epigenetic changes that drive the origin and progression of cancer in different tissues, particularly those forms prevalent in Asia; developing new therapies to target specific cancers in specific patients; and gain insights into the genetic and environmental variations that underlie cancer susceptibility.

N2CR is strategically organized to motivate interdisciplinary collaborations – spanning from bench to bedside and back again – to drive research in key areas. The N2CR empowers fundamental and clinical researchers from NUS Medicine, our core partners: the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, and the National Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCIS) in the National University Health System (NUHS), to work together, alongside scientists and technologists from other disciplines, to address major scientific and clinical challenges. N2CR’s work is enabled by cancer site-specific resources which include the collection of patient samples and databases with clinical information. It is focused on three cross-cutting themes namely Tissue-Specific Carcinogenesis, Precision Cancer Medicine and Early Cancer Intervention, that promote fruitful interdisciplinary collaborations between fundamental researchers, enabling technologists and clinical investigators.