Historical background

The Cancer Research Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia was founded in 1946. It was localized in an old nunnery where St. Elisabeth Hospital for chronic diseases was already established at that time. From the early beginning the Institute was devoted to basic and clinically oriented research in accordance with its name Institute for Research and Cancer Treatment. In 1969 the Institute was divided into two independent institutions: clinical (today known as St. Elisabeth Oncological Hospital) and experimental - the Cancer Research Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (CRI SAS). In 1997 the Institute moved to the new building in the vicinity of new clinical departments of the National Institute of Oncology. The new building is equipped with modern facilities for research, including animal rooms, library, congress hall, and other necessary supporting technical attachments.

CRI SAS has a long-standing collaboration with the two cancer hospitals; the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the St. Elisabeth Cancer Institute and they together constitute an informal Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Slovak Republic. The close cooperation among these organizations contributes to the more effective transfer of the results and knowledge from basic research into clinical practice. CRI SAS is a member of the prestigious Organization of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) and collaborates with a large number of outstanding national, European and US laboratories. CRI SAS is the editor of the international journal NEOPLASMA, a leading journal in medical sciences in Slovakia.