A HAMPSHIRE university is a step closer to building a world-class cancer research centre after hitting a major milestone.

The University of Southampton today marked World Cancer Day by revealing it has raised three-quarters of the money needed to construct the £25 million facility.

It follows the award of a £4.5 million grant from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Described as the first of its kind in the UK, the proposed new Centre for Cancer Immunology will be built at Southampton General Hospital.

The building is due to open in 2017 and will result in world-leading cancer scientists working together under one roof, enabling them to expand clinical trials and develop life-saving drugs.

Professor Tim Elliott, director of the new centre, confirmed that the fundraising appeal was three-quarters of the way towards meeting its target.

He added: “We are delighted to reach this significant milestone in our campaign, especially by World Cancer Day, with the help of the Solent LEP.

"The new centre will go a long way in helping many more people with cancer become free of the disease.”

Immunotherapy is a revolutionary new treatment that supercharges the body’s natural defences, helping them to find and destroy cancerous growths.

Treatments already being developed by Southampton scientists involve the use of "killer" cells that can control and shrink tumours, giving patients long-lasting protection.

One patient who has benefited from the research is three-year-old Phelan Jordan, of Southampton, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma - a cancer involving nerve cells - when he was just 18 months old.

Now aged three, Phelan is doing well after taking part in immunotherapy trials in the city.

Urging people to support the fundraising campaign his father, George Jordan, said: "It may not be about you today but it could be about your family tomorrow."

Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, the university's vice-chancellor, thanked the Solent LEP for its contribution to the appeal.

He said: "Our new centre will allow us to build on our expertise and expand the research teams in Southampton to make even greater progress in developing new treatments.

"The next few years will see great advances in immune therapies for cancer with the University of Southampton at the very forefront of discovery.”

Solent LEP chairman Gary Jeffries added: "At the heart of our strategy to transform the Solent economy is investing in sectors where we have the potential to be truly world-leading."

PANEL: New figures show that cancer death rates in the south east have fallen by ten-per-cent over the past ten years.

In 2003, 303 in every 100,000 people in the region died from the disease.

Thanks to the success of new techniques this fell by a tenth to 272 people per 100,000 in 2013, according to Cancer Research UK.

Lynn Daly, the charity's spokesman for the south east, said: “Today, on World Cancer Day, it’s important to remember that even though the death rates are falling, the overall number of people dying from cancer is expected to increase.

"This is because the population is growing and more of us are living longer."