HE IS the world-famous musician who knows the pain of losing a loved one to cancer.

Now former Southampton schoolboy Will Champion and fellow members of the rock band Coldplay have thrown their support behind a new £25 million cancer research hub being built in the city.

Coldplay have made a “significant” donation towards the cost of the Centre for Cancer Immunology, which is taking shape at Southampton General Hospital.

The University of Southampton is refusing to disclose the amount at the band’s request but are describing it as a “wonderful gesture”.

Will grew up in Southampton and his parents were both senior academics at the University but his mother died from cancer in 2000.

He said: “Cancer is a devastating disease that affects so many of us.

“The work the University of Southampton is doing is truly groundbreaking and we are very happy we can support it in this way. It is amazing this is happening in Southampton.”

Construction work is expected to finish in with an official opening planned for next spring or summer.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the groundbreaking facility will be the UK’s first and only centre dedicated to cancer immunology, which aims to find ways of super-charging the body’s own defence system.

World-class cancer scientists will be brought together under one roof, enabling teams to expand clinical trials and develop life-saving drugs.

By the time it is fully operational, it is expected to double the number of patients on clinical trials.

The university has so far raised more than £21 million towards the cost of the new centre.

Coldplay, whose hits include Fix You, will have the band’s name displayed on a “donor wall” alongside those of other people who have made what the university describes as a significant donation to the campaign.

Professor Tim Elliott, director of the new centre, said: “We are very grateful to Coldplay for this generous gift.

“Our new centre will allow us to build on our expertise to make even greater progress in developing new treatments.

“The university has made major advances in tumour immunology and immunotherapy research and we strongly believe the centre will go a long way in helping many more people with cancer become free of the disease.”

Every day more than 900 people in the UK are given the devastating news that they have cancer.

The disease, which comes in about 200 different types, claims 150,000 lives every year.