About Our Work
Friends of CROSS raises funds to support cancer research and improve patient care at the Trinity St James Cancer Institute and St. James's Hospital.
We support the education and training of medical students and invest in state-of-the-art laboratory equipment to drive translational research into the prevention, understanding, and treatment of cancer. CROSS has zero administrative costs — every cent goes directly to research.
Friends of CROSS is a registered charity in Ireland — CHY 15364
Equipment We've Funded
Flow Cytometer
A flow cytometer fires a laser beam at thousands of individual cells per second, measuring their size, shape, and surface markers. In the lab, this means researchers can identify exactly which types of immune cells are present in a tumour and how cancer cells respond to treatment. For patients, this translates into faster, more accurate diagnoses and the development of personalised therapies — helping doctors choose the right treatment for the right person.
Tissue Microarrayer
A tissue microarrayer takes tiny cores from hundreds of patient tissue samples and arranges them on a single slide, allowing researchers to test for cancer markers across many samples at once. This dramatically speeds up the search for biomarkers — molecular signals that can predict how aggressive a cancer is or how well a patient will respond to treatment. Ultimately, this helps move us closer to personalised cancer care, where treatment decisions are tailored to each individual.
Cryostat
A cryostat rapidly freezes tissue samples and slices them into ultra-thin sections for examination under the microscope. This is critical in cancer research because it preserves the tissue in its natural state, allowing researchers to study proteins and cell structures exactly as they exist in the body. In clinical settings, cryostats enable surgeons to get rapid results during operations — helping them confirm whether all cancerous tissue has been removed while the patient is still in theatre.
PCR Thermal Cycler
A PCR thermal cycler makes millions of copies of specific DNA sequences, allowing researchers to detect even the tiniest genetic mutations in a cancer sample. In practice, this means scientists can identify the exact genetic changes driving a patient's cancer and test whether new drugs can target those mutations. This is at the heart of personalised medicine — matching patients to treatments based on their unique genetic profile rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Cell InnoCyte Machine
The Cell InnoCyte Machine allows researchers to track cancer cell behaviour, migration, and response to different therapies in real time. By observing living cancer cells as they react to treatments, scientists can identify which therapies are most effective — and why — accelerating the development of targeted treatments that could save lives. This machine was funded by the proceeds of the Friends of CROSS Rugby Lunch 2025.
Friends of CROSS
The Friends of CROSS Committee are a group of individuals who commit their time to creating and supporting initiatives to raise money for our work.
Meet the CommitteeResearch Partners
.png)
