| Dear Voornaam, Welcome to your February newsletter. Today is World Cancer Day, and also marks 20 years since Cancer Research UK (CRUK) was formed from its two legacy charities, the Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. 20 years of world-class research means there's much to celebrate about the advances we've made towards beating cancer. We wouldn't be where we are without our supporters, partners and of course, our research community who, after all these years, continue to be at the forefront of innovative research on cancer. To mark the start of our anniversary year, our chief clinician Charles Swanton and chief scientist Karen Vousden, reflect on the last 20 years as cancer researchers. I'm also delighted to introduce our new podcast for researchers, where we will speak to some of the fantastic researchers behind CRUK about where cancer science was 20 years ago, where we are today and where we might be in another 20. In the first episode, we speak to Ruth Plummer about clinical trials, oncology and DNA repair.
And lastly, I'd like to congratulate the seven Centres across the UK that will form our new network. This investment is crucial to ensuring the acceleration of advances in cancer and I look forward to seeing more ground-breaking research over the next few years.
Kind regards,
Iain Foulkes Executive Director, Research & Innovation Cancer Research UK |
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| | REFRESHED RESEARCH STRATEGY COMING SOON In March, we'll be publishing a refreshed research strategy. If you’re interested in finding out more about our new strategy and how this may impact your research, register to attend a broadcast event with CRUK leadership on 23 March. |
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 SEVEN CENTRES TO FORM NEW CRUK NETWORK Congratulations to the seven Centres across the UK – Cambridge, City of London, Convergence Science, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Scotland – which will form our new network. From 1 April 2022, we'll be investing £100 million over five years into these Centres. This investment will draw together the best research and medical expertise to accelerate advances and transform the outlook for cancer patients in the future. |
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|  A NEW YEAR OF EXPANDING RESEARCH HORIZONS Gerard Evan and Kay-Tee Khaw chair our Discovery Research and Prevention and Population Research committees respectively. In a piece for our blog, they reflect on some of the most intriguing research findings that emerged in 2021, and what to keep a look out for this year. Read their take on the enormous potential of immune-oncological therapies and why exciting times lie ahead in this area, the success of the HPV vaccine and the importance of big data analytics and global collaborations. |
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 REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR THE CRUK LUNG CANCER CONFERENCE The Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Conference will return on 15 – 17 November 2022. Co-directors of the CRUK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, Professor Caroline Dive (University of Manchester) and Professor Charles Swanton (Francis Crick Institute), have curated a programme on the latest hot topics in lung cancer research, from informatics and technology approaches to diagnosis and treatment to lung cancer in never smokers. Make sure you register your interest to be the first to hear the latest conference information. The conference is open to all researchers working or interested in lung cancer and related conditions. |
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|  JOIN OUR EVENT WITH THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY We’re working with the Royal Society of Chemistry to host another workshop and networking event on 6 May 2022. This time, the focus will be on wearable technologies and real-time health monitoring for the early detection of cancer. This is an exciting opportunity to network with different scientific communities and foster new interdisciplinary collaborations. Applications to attend are welcome from early and mid-career researchers, established independent researchers and industry researchers working in the fields of analytical science, material science, cancer biology, data science, clinicians and health professionals. |
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| | INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY Applications are now open to attend the CRUK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence International Summer School. The Summer School, taking place on 11–14 July, is aimed at graduates, postdocs and early group leaders working in paediatric brain tumour research. Through a series of lectures, expert panels and team activities, attendees will address some of the key challenges in the field and have the opportunity to network with leading experts. Application deadline: 7 March |
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| | FULFIL YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL IN THE PANACEA STARS DEVELOP PROGRAMME Are you a scientist or clinician with an early-stage business idea? Apply to the Panacea Stars Spring-Summer Develop 2022 programme, to support the development of your business venture and accelerate your progress in translating your research for patient benefit through entrepreneurship. It's an 8-week programme that’s filled with mentoring and networking, bootcamps, workshops and seminars. You’ll also get the opportunity to compete for a £100K non-dilutive prize package. Application deadline: 19 February |
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 NEW POLICY FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING THE RECRUITMENT OF HUMAN PARTICIPANTS We’ve published a new policy on research that involves recruitment of human participants, which applies to studies funded or endorsed by all our Funding Committees and Scientific Executive Board. It provides clarity on governance requirements, clinical trial registration and reporting and our minimum expectations for public and patient involvement. It also sets out new guidelines for including under-served populations. For any questions, get in touch with us at clinicalresearch@cancer.org.uk. |
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|  FREE ONLINE COURSE ON THE LATEST TARGETED CANCER TREATMENTS Thanks to ground-breaking research over the past 20 years, more targeted treatments and immunotherapies have changed the way we treat cancer. Our free five-week online course for anyone working in cancer clinical trials is designed to help you discover the science behind these treatments. Join the course to benefit from up-to-date educational content on some of the latest targeted treatments and immunotherapies in a range of cancers, where you can learn at your own pace through video interviews, articles, patient case studies, quizzes and discussion with other learners. |
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| | OUR FUTURE HEALTH: THE UK’S LARGEST HEALTH RESEARCH PROGRAMME We’re proud to endorse the pilot phase of Our Future Health – the UK’s largest health research programme – as it begins work to transform the prevention, detection, and treatment of diseases, including cancer. Our Future Health aims to recruit five million adult volunteers, from all backgrounds, to participate in the research programme. Researchers from across academia, industry and the NHS will be able to apply to use Our Future Health data and samples for their crucial research. |
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 HELP SHAPE THE NCRI’S RESEARCH PRIORITIES IN BLADDER, RENAL AND PENILE CANCER The NCRI Bladder and Renal Group is evaluating their research priorities and strategy to address the most pressing needs in bladder, renal and penile cancer research. They’re running a survey to gather information from the cancer research community on the challenges, opportunities and gaps in these areas and want to hear from as many as possible across the research spectrum, regardless of speciality, career stage and setting. Please share the 5-minute survey throughout your network. The survey closes on 10 February. |
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|  LATEST OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE NCRI BRAIN GROUP The NCRI Brain Group has published its strategic priorities to address challenges faced in brain tumour research and improve outcomes for brain tumour patients. To address these strategic priorities, they’re forming working groups. Applications to become the chair or deputy chair of each group are open now. The NCRI Brain Group as a whole is also looking for a new deputy chair. If you have a passion for shaping the cancer research landscape and improving outcomes for people affected by brain tumours, find out more about this opportunity on their website. |
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| | FIRST PATIENT DOSED IN TRIAL OF LUNG CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY VACCINE The MAGE phase I/IIa trial is testing viral-vector immunotherapeutic, VTP-600, in non-small cell lung cancer patients. If successful, VTP-600 could be a powerful new treatment for patients in need of better options, as well as providing the basis for further clinical trials to evaluate its use for other common types of cancer. The trial, led by chief investigator Professor Fiona Blackhall from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, is managed and significantly funded by our Centre for Drug Development, in partnership with Vaccitech and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. |
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| | | Register your interest 18 October 2022 |
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