Cancer Research of the Oesophagus and Stomach
A dedicated Irish charity supporting translational and clinical research at St James's Hospital — so that discoveries made at the bench reach patients faster.
From Bench to Bedside
CROSS — Cancer Research of the Oesophagus and Stomach at St. James's Hospital — is a dedicated Irish charity funding translational and clinical research into cancers of the oesophagus, stomach and related gastrointestinal cancers. Our mission is to move discoveries made in the laboratory into better diagnoses, treatments and supportive care for patients.
"Donor money not only pays for equipment — it invests in trainee skills and careers that deliver long-term gains in patient care."
From the bench to the bedside
CROSS exists to fund the people and infrastructure behind translational cancer research, and to turn that research into better outcomes, treatments and supportive care.
CROSS (Cancer Research of the Oesophagus and Stomach at St James's Hospital) supports research into cancers of the oesophagus and stomach — and the wider translational science that grows from it. Our core purpose is to fund people — PhD students, research fellows and clinical trainees — and the laboratory and clinical infrastructure they need, so that discoveries can move quickly and safely into improvements in diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.
Research, training & clinical translation
We concentrate funding on high-impact, translational projects that sit at the interface of laboratory science and patient care.
Translational research
Basic tumour biology, immunology, obesity-and-cancer biology, biomarker discovery, radiobiology, clinical trials and survivorship.
Training the next generation
Funding PhD students and early-career researchers, and giving clinician-scientists the training to lead translational studies.
People-first funding
Donor money pays for equipment and invests in the skills and careers that deliver long-term gains in patient care.
Embedded in hospital and university
CROSS sits within the clinical and academic environment of St James's Hospital and Trinity College Dublin — the national referral centre for oesophageal and gastric cancer in Ireland.
We work closely with the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute and the Trinity St James's Cancer Institute. This hospital–university partnership is deliberately built so that clinical observations can be investigated in the lab, and laboratory ideas trialled in the clinic. CROSS also supports multi-centre collaborations such as the All-Ireland Cancer Network Oesophageal Programme (AllCaN Oesophageal), multiplying the impact of every donation by pooling expertise across institutions.
Where our funding makes a difference
Targeted, CROSS-funded projects create the pilot data and the workforce that attract larger grants — and quickly inform clinical practice.
Immune & Tumour Microenvironment
How inflammation and reflux drive progression to oesophageal adenocarcinoma
Obesity, Visceral Fat
& Metabolism
How adipose tissue biology influences tumour behaviour and treatment response.
Rehabilitation &
Survivorship
Multimodal programmes improving fitness and recovery after oesophagogastric surgery.
Research shaped with patients and the public
We deliver talks in schools and community groups, publish public-facing summaries and involve patient representatives in study design and priority-setting.
Meaningful patient and public involvement (PPI) improves the relevance, design and uptake of research — a principle at the heart of how we work.
How donations are used
CROSS is a registered Irish charity funded entirely through philanthropy, community fundraising and partner donations.
Donations are channelled into student stipends, pilot research projects, essential laboratory equipment and outreach. "Friends of CROSS" initiatives and corporate partners have funded equipment and trainees and seeded translational projects — including major donations to the Trinity St James's Cancer Institute that directly benefit CROSS-supported research.
