Ireland's Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, officially launched Phase 2 of Precision Oncology Ireland (POI) on October 8th, marking a significant expansion of the country's largest cancer research initiative. The program represents a substantial increase in investment, scale and ambition as Ireland works to deliver the next generation of cancer care through personalized medicine approaches.
Strategic Partnership Model Drives Innovation
POI operates as a cancer research consortium dedicated to advancing personalized cancer research and care, with a mission to develop tailored diagnostic and therapeutic solutions using cutting-edge technologies and data. The program ensures every patient receives the right treatment at the right time through an ambitious strategic partnership model co-funded by Research Ireland, industry, and the not-for-profit sector.
The initiative is coordinated by the Systems Biology Ireland centre at University College Dublin (UCD), led by Professor Walter Kolch. "Research is the engine behind new medicines," said Professor Kolch. "POI-2 is all about linking top notch cancer research to clinical translation. This includes the development of advanced computer simulations of the disease, so that we can design the best diagnostic and treatment approaches for each individual patient."
Enhanced Clinical Integration and Patient Involvement
Phase 2 builds on the success of the initial phase by deepening interdisciplinarity through stronger clinical engagement, broadening scientific scope and infrastructure, and enhancing patient and public involvement. Professor Donal Brennan, UCD Professor of Gynae-Oncology and Deputy-Director of POI, emphasized the program's clinical translation goals: "We now aim to strengthen collaboration with clinical partners and move towards embedding research within standard cancer care, so that patients and society across Ireland – and beyond – can benefit from improved outcomes, enhanced healthcare innovation, and more sustainable delivery of cancer services."
The program incorporates significant patient advocacy components, with patient advocate and researcher Siobhan Gaynor supporting the launch. Gaynor, who lives with advanced breast cancer, conducted groundbreaking research through Cancer Trials Ireland in 2023 that captured input from stage IV cancer patients. Her work was awarded the Irish Cancer Society Public and Patient Involvement project of the year in 2025 and led to the creation of an Advanced Cancer Patients Council.
"Most Stage IV cancers are incurable, although thanks to science and research, we are now living longer," Gaynor explained. "The challenge has moved to focus on quality-of-life needs as well as the need for more real-world data to be gathered to better inform service delivery and hopefully improve our care."
Cross-Sector Collaboration Model
The first phase of POI established a pioneering cross-sector collaborative model that brought together academics, industry partners, charities, and patients. Dr. Diarmuid O'Brien, CEO of Research Ireland, highlighted the program's comprehensive impact: "The highly-impactful Precision Oncology Ireland strategic partnership is enabling breakthroughs in cancer biology, supporting the development of new treatments, training the next generation of researchers, nurturing biotech start-ups, and strengthening critical research infrastructure."
Minister Lawless emphasized the importance of collaborative approaches in cancer research: "Breakthroughs in cancer research are most likely when clinicians, scientists, industry leaders, patients, charities and other stakeholders come together with a shared purpose. The first phase of Precision Oncology Ireland stands as proof that strong, sustained collaboration can unlock innovation and accelerate transformative solutions."
Technology Integration and Future Vision
POI-2 will harness the transformative power of AI and digital technologies to advance precision medicine and accelerate interdisciplinary collaboration. Professor Kate Robson Brown, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, described the program's strategic vision: "The launch of POI-2 marks a pivotal step in realising our collective strategic vision to advance precision medicine, accelerate interdisciplinary collaboration, and harness the transformative power of AI and digital technologies. Most importantly, it reflects our unwavering commitment to translating groundbreaking research into tangible improvements in patient care and outcomes."
The program has built a unified community that is creating a lasting impact on how Ireland approaches cancer research, with Phase 2 representing the next evolution in delivering personalized cancer care through advanced computational modeling and clinical integration.
