A pioneering cancer research project in northern Portugal has won the public vote at the 2026 REGIOSTARS Awards, recognising its work in bringing scientific advances closer to patients and expanding access to innovative treatments.
The Porto Comprehensive Cancer Centre – TeamUp4Cancer received the People’s Choice Award at a ceremony in Brussels on Wednesday, October 14, after securing the most public votes among 25 finalists competing for the European Union award.
The project brings together the Portuguese Oncology Institute in Porto (IPO-Porto) and the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) at the University of Porto, combining scientific research with clinical care to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Speaking to Portuguese radio station TSF, Júlio Oliveira, president of IPO-Porto, described the award as recognition of the work carried out by researchers, healthcare professionals and volunteers.
“This is an excellent example of how bringing science and healthcare together, in this case in oncology, can have a major impact on patients’ lives,” he told the broadcaster.
The initiative, supported by approximately €17 million in European funding and coordinated by the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), has helped establish the region’s first precision oncology medicine programme.
This approach involves analysing the genetic characteristics of individual tumours to identify treatments that may be more effective for particular patients, especially when conventional therapies have been exhausted.
The project has also expanded access to early-stage clinical trials, allowing cancer patients in northern Portugal, and potentially elsewhere in the country, to benefit from experimental treatments before they become commercially available.
Giving patients new hope
Oliveira highlighted the case of a patient with advanced cancer who had exhausted conventional treatment options but was able to access an innovative medicine through the programme.
According to the doctor, the patient underwent genetic tumour profiling and subsequently entered a clinical trial involving a targeted treatment.
Around two and a half years later, the patient was still living with a cancer diagnosis but showed no detectable evidence of disease.
Oliveira stressed that such cases demonstrate the potential of precision medicine to offer additional treatment opportunities to patients who might otherwise have few remaining options.
He also warned that Europe has been losing ground in clinical research, with an increasing share of global clinical trials moving towards China and North America.
Strengthening Portugal’s position in medical research
Claudio Sunkel, director of i3S and professor of molecular biology at the University of Porto, told TSF that the project represented an important step towards creating a stronger healthcare and research network in northern Portugal.
He said the collaboration between scientists and clinicians was helping to ensure that discoveries made in laboratories could translate into improvements in patient care.
The initiative is also expected to support the development of a medical genomics centre in northern Portugal, further strengthening the region’s research capabilities.
Both researchers emphasised the importance of ensuring that access to innovative treatments is not limited by geography, with the longer-term ambition of allowing patients from across Portugal to participate in clinical trials.
For Oliveira, the European award is not only a recognition of scientific achievement but also an encouragement to the teams working daily to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
The REGIOSTARS Awards, organised by the European Commission, recognise outstanding EU-funded projects that contribute to regional development and improve people’s lives.
The People’s Choice Award is decided by public vote, giving citizens across Europe the opportunity to recognise projects they consider particularly valuable.
Source: TSF/European Commission