Helen Massy-Beresford talks about how canSERV is helping European cancer researchers and biotech companies accelerate discovery by connecting to shared data, samples and advanced research infrastructure across borders.
Cooperation in cancer research in Europe is reaching new levels. Through the EU-backed canSERV platform, scientists will be able to more easily collaborate with specialized research services and infrastructure across the continent, accelerating discoveries and leading to better patient care.
For Dr. Pavla Bucharova, a cancer researcher at the Department of Biochemistry at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, answering complex questions about how colorectal tumors behave requires access to data, samples and analytical tools far beyond a single laboratory.
Through an EU-backed initiative called canSERV, Bucharova’s team gained access to colorectal cancer tissue samples and additional testing services to advance their research.
“Without canSERV, we would not be able to do DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, or the AI-assisted analysis that we are working on with the Netherlands,” Bucharova said. Her group is currently evaluating the data before preparing a publication.
Her experience reflects the wide range of challenges and opportunities facing cancer research in Europe.
Growing need for collaboration
Approximately 2.7 million people in Europe are diagnosed with cancer each year, and this number is expected to rise to more than 3.2 million by 2040. As the population ages and lifestyle-related risks continue, the need for better prevention, treatment and care remains urgent.
In response, cancer research in Europe is rapidly advancing with innovations such as RNA-based cancer treatments that target specific cancer cells and advances in personalized medicine that promise improved outcomes.
However, the oncology research landscape remains fragmented. Scientists often work in separate networks with limited access to shared facilities and data, which can slow progress and limit collaboration.
canSERV was founded in 2022 to overcome this fragmentation. The initiative brings together cancer researchers and research services from nine EU countries and the UK, bringing together knowledge, skills and expertise that otherwise may remain dispersed.
Connecting researchers with resources
Through canSERV, researchers have access to a wide range of advanced services provided by partner institutions across Europe.
The platform serves as a single point of entry to tools, technology, and data from research infrastructures in different countries, helping scientists conduct more ambitious research and accelerate discoveries.
“This is the de facto European center of excellence for cancer research, where you can choose what you need for your projects,” said Professor Jens Habermann, Director of BBMRI-ERIC, the pan-European infrastructure connecting biobanks and biomolecular resources and leading the canSERV collaboration.
“This idea took shape in terms of optimizing the cancer research landscape in Europe,” Habermann said.
From academic research to biotech innovation
canSERV’s services are used not only by academic teams but also by European biotech companies working on new treatments.
As an example, Aptadel Therapeutics, a Barcelona-based biotechnology company, is developing RNA-based cancer treatments designed to target tumor cells more precisely than traditional approaches.
Through canSERV, Aptadel researchers have gained new insight into how certain drugs affect tumor cells at the molecular level.
They knew that they could kill tumor cells by interfering with known carcinogenic pathways. “But we didn’t know the molecular details of how this was happening,” said Dr. Adrian Torres, Aptadell’s chief scientific officer.
With support from canSERV partners in the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany, the company conducted a multi-omics analysis combining genomic and proteomics data to show how genes and proteins in cancer cells respond to treatment over time.
“These services allow us to understand what cancer cells look like at different points during drug treatment, across genes and proteins,” Torres explained.
“The most efficient way to obtain these large datasets was to work with a group of experts who have this capability.”
The findings are helping the team refine treatments that may be less toxic and more effective than chemotherapy. Aptadel also plans to share its data more widely to support further cancer research.
Building a shared infrastructure
For Habermann, these examples, from university labs to biotech companies, demonstrate exactly what canSERV was designed to accomplish.
“Reducing fragmentation is important not only for researchers, but also for the benefit of European society as a whole,” he said. While some regions have made great strides in personalized medicine, others have yet to catch up. Making research services widely available can help fill that gap.
The platform is designed to be easy to use for research teams.
“We discussed the best scientific approach with our partners, prepared the samples and sent them to a scientific facility, where they processed the samples and provided the data,” Torres said.
Habermann likens canSERV to a shared transport infrastructure. “It wouldn’t work if each airline needed its own airport. Sometimes there’s no airport. That’s why canSERV is building infrastructure for cancer research: airports.”
Continuation of collaboration
More than 150 researchers from 25 countries have already taken advantage of canSERV’s support, and organizers hope to maintain the service beyond the initiative’s planned end in August 2026.
The connections forged through this project are already laying the foundations for new partnerships across the European cancer research community.
“The canSERV program has enabled us to more deeply evaluate key aspects related to the more fundamental science of how our compounds work,” said Torres. “We are generating new data, and we intend to make this data available not only to us but to the entire scientific community.”
By providing cross-border access to cutting-edge research infrastructure, canSERV will help European scientists collaborate more effectively, bringing us a little closer to our common goal of better cancer treatments.
The research for this article was funded by the EU’s Horizon program. The views of the interviewees do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
This article was originally published in Horizon, EU Research and Innovation Magazine.
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