Blood Cancer Network Ireland (BCNI)

Blood Cancer Network Ireland (BCNI) is a collaborative network of clinicians, scientists, and population health experts across the country via clinical research facilities in NUI Galway, University College Cork, and St James’s Hospital/Trinity College Dublin. The network also works closely with the National Cancer Registry Ireland and Cancer Trials Ireland.



The research initiative is being led by Dr Eva Szegezdi, at NUI Galway and Dr Philip Murphy at RCSI Beaumont, and also involves Professor Mary Cahill, Cork University Hospital; Professor Paul Browne, St James’ Hospital Dublin; and Prof. Kerri Gorr, National Cancer Registry of Ireland, as co-lead investigators.

Since beginning in 2014, BCNI has grown to provide Irish blood cancer patients access to novel and innovative cancer treatments through early phase clinical trials (Phase I/II) in cancer care centres in Galway, Cork and Dublin.



Clinical trials are designed to develop and test new and improved ways to treat cancer patients; help prevent a return of cancer; and improve comfort and quality of life for people with cancer. Advances in treatments for blood cancers depend on clinical trials of new therapies or new combinations of therapies. Many of these trials will be conducted in collaboration with Cancer Trials Ireland.

BCNI Biobank and Registry

BCNI is also collecting information and samples from blood cancer patients in order to improve our understanding of blood cancers and to support future research. BCNI has established a blood cancer biobank to collect and analyse patient samples and an enhanced registry, in association with the National Cancer Registry Ireland, to collect information about the treatment, outcomes, and quality of life of patients with blood cancers in Ireland.