Royal Marsden opens Centre for Cancer Genomics in Sutton
Published 29 October 2026
Sutton has added another national first to its growing life sciences story. The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust announced on 15 October 2026 that its new Royal Marsden Centre for Cancer Genomics is open on its Sutton site, which it shares with The Institute of Cancer Research at the London Cancer Hub in Belmont.
What the centre does
The trust describes it as the first NHS facility designed to develop and deliver composite biomarker testing nationwide. That means combining genetic, immune and scan-based information, analysed with machine learning, to help doctors choose the right treatment for each patient.
- It acts as a national biomarker laboratory for clinical trial samples from across the country.
- It expands circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) blood testing, an area where the Royal Marsden was the first NHS trust to test at large scale in 2023.
- It is the cancer testing laboratory for the North Thames Genomics Laboratory Hub, one of seven in England.
It is a laboratory rather than a clinic, so patients do not book appointments there directly. Samples come in through hospital teams. The facility was funded by The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, with an infrastructure grant from the NIHR.
Why it matters for Sutton
The London Cancer Hub received planning consent in February 2026 for a £1 billion expansion, expected to add around a million square feet of lab and research space and about 3,000 jobs. Every step like this strengthens Sutton's reputation as a place for science and healthcare.
For local businesses, a growing research campus means more staff, visitors and contractors who need lunch, transport, accommodation, childcare and services nearby. Sutton firms can also register with the council's free supplier directory to be considered for work on major projects, including the London Cancer Hub. Here is how to join.
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