Clatterbridge has been given a grant for a new hi-tech system to bring in more clinical research trials into cancer.
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre (CCC) has been awarded the grant through the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) Capital Investment Fund, enabling the purchase of a high-performance radiology research workstation that will significantly enhance the Trust’s imaging research capabilities.
The new system will support advanced processing and analysis of complex imaging data – including from MRI, CT and PET scans – helping to accelerate both academic and commercial cancer trials.
By removing current imaging bottlenecks, the workstation will also allow CCC to participate in a greater number of imaging-intensive studies, ultimately expanding opportunities for patients across the region.
Professor Abhishek Mahajan, Consultant Radiologist at CCC, described the award as a transformative moment for the Trust’s research ambitions.
“This investment gives us the computational power we’ve been missing,” he said. “It will allow us to process and analyse imaging data at a scale and speed that simply hasn’t been possible before.”
The workstation will directly support the work of the Cancer Imaging Research Group, enabling projects in AI-driven imaging analysis, tumour response assessment, and imaging biomarker development.
According to Prof Mahajan, the impact will be both immediate and long term. He said: “From day one, this system will help us to deliver more sophisticated imaging research. But its real value lies in how it positions us for the future – particularly in AI-enabled cancer diagnostics and personalised treatment.”
A major component of the centre’s research strategy is the development of CAN-I-AID (Cancer Imaging Artificial Intelligence Database), a large multimodal imaging biobank designed to support the creation and validation of AI models for cancer detection, treatment response prediction, and long-term outcomes research. The new workstation will be a foundational tool for building and curating this dataset.
“CAN-I-AID is an ambitious project, and this award gives us the infrastructure we need to make it a reality,” Prof Mahajan said. “By creating a high-quality imaging biobank, we can contribute to AI research that has the potential to change how cancer is diagnosed and treated.”
The investment is expected to expand CCC’s imaging research capacity, attract new commercial trials, and increase opportunities for patients to participate in cutting-edge studies.
Dr Gillian Heap, CCC’s Director of Research and Innovation Operations, said: “It is fantastic news that we have secured this grant – thanks to the NIHR and everyone at CCC who made this successful bid.
“This isn’t just about bringing in new technology – it’s about improving access to innovative cancer research for our patients. With this capability, we can bring more clinical trials to Clatterbridge and ensure our patients benefit from the latest advances in imaging science.”
