At Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca (Porto.CCC), science and care come together to transform how we understand and treat cancer. A partnership between i3S (Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation) and IPO Porto (Ministry of Health), Porto.CCC turns patient experience into research innovation and translates discovery into better care for all. Integrating basic, pre-clinical, and clinical research, Porto.CCC creates a regional platform that strengthens the national and international impact of both institutions.

Mission

Porto.CCC is committed to promoting innovation and advancing research in oncology, translating knowledge into tangible benefits for patients and transforming cancer treatment. This mission relies on a community of experts, combining high-quality clinical care, advanced scientific research, specialised teaching and training, and strong community engagement.

Porto.CCC aims to:

• Support collaborative and interdisciplinary research in oncology with a focus on clinical benefit for patients
• Provide high-quality inpatient and outpatient facilities to support clinical research activities
• Ensure quality assurance of diagnostic capabilities in molecular pathology and imaging
• Foster robust pre-clinical research aligned with clinical trial infrastructures
• Train the next generation of translational scientists and clinical investigators
• Disseminate research nationally and internationally through scientific events and publications, with special emphasis on oncology
• Promote innovation, technological patents, and the creation of spin-off companies

Bedside to Bench and Back (B3)

The “Bedside to Bench and Back” (B3) concept illustrates Porto.CCC’s operation. “Bedside” represents IPO Porto’s daily contact with the real needs of cancer patients. These clinical challenges drive research at i3S and IPO Porto (Bench) to develop innovative solutions. These solutions are then translated back into patient care through clinical trials (Back), closing the cycle of discovery and ensuring that research directly improves treatments and patient outcomes. This cyclical approach keeps the patient at the center of innovation.

The External Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) of Porto. Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca was established in early 2022 and is composed of distinguished, internationally renowned researchers across various facets of cancer research:

• Prof. Ulrik Ringborg (Chairman), Director of Cancer Centre Karolinska, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Sweden;
• Prof. Alexander Eggermont, Chief Scientific Officer, Princess Máxima Centre for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands;

• Prof. Alexander Markham, Director of MRC Medical Bioinformatics Centre, Health Data Research UK, London, United Kingdom;
• Prof. Robert C. Bast Jr., Vice President for Translational Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA;
• Prof. Stefan Fröhling, Managing Director of National Centre for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg, Germany.

The ESAB plays a key role in advising, reviewing, and guiding the scientific and clinical strategy of Porto.CCC, helping to ensure the highest standards of excellence, innovation, and international impact in cancer research and care.

2022
Porto.CCC recognised internationally in cancer care and research

Porto.CCC receives renewed accreditation as a Comprehensive Cancer Centre until 2027, confirming i3S and IPO Porto as the only Portuguese institutions with this prestigious recognition. The reaccreditation follows an evaluation by the Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). The recertification demonstrates our commitment to knowledge production, innovation, quality care, and patient safety, ensured through best practices. Porto.CCC also presented a strategic plan to enhance fundamental, translational, and clinical research, aiming to double the number of patients participating in clinical trials.

2022
Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre renamed in honour of Raquel Seruca

In 2022, the Porto.CCC was renamed to honour the legacy of Raquel Seruca, who played a central role in the development of the consortium. Now called the Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre Raquel Seruca, the centre continues its pioneering mission to shorten and improve the cycle of scientific discovery in neoplastic and preneoplastic diseases, strengthening translational research and patient-centred innovation. Raquel Seruca’s groundbreaking work laid the foundation for advanced infrastructure, specialised human resources, and cutting-edge research that enabled new strategies for early diagnosis, monitoring, and personalised treatment of cancer patients. By adding her name, Porto.CCC not only pays tribute to an exceptional scientist and visionary but also reaffirms its commitment to realising her vision of science.

2021
Signature of the TeamUp4Cancer Program Contract

Porto.CCC secures funding from the North Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020) under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), totaling €17,636,783.53, to support the collaborative Scientific Project TeamUp4Cancer. This project will be carried out over two years by research groups from both institutions [NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-072678].

2021
European Cancer Research Summit

IPO.Porto, as member of the Porto.CCC consortium, hosted the European Cancer Research Summit 2021, an international summit dedicated to discussing the importance of research infrastructures in the field of cancer. The highlight of the conference was the public presentation of the Porto Declaration on Cancer Research, calling for the strengthening of cancer research across Europe at all stages, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. This event was part of an initiative led by the Tripartite Presidency of the European Council (Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia), which identified cancer research as one of Europe’s priorities.
Porto Declaration on Cancer Research

2018
1st Gago Conference

Through i3S, Porto.CCC coordinated the first edition of the Gago Conference, an event that brought together doctors, researchers, national and european leaders in the field of oncology, including members of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences. The conference focused on promoting cancer research across Europe, aiming to lessen cancer’s impact on society.

2017
Porto.CCC first joint public presentation of the 2016 Research Report at i3S.

2016

With the creation of i3S, new opportunities arose to strengthen and expand the PORTO COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTRE consortium. A collaboration protocol was signed on April 17, 2016, in the presence of the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, and the Health Secretary of State, Manuel Delgado.