| Dear Voornaam, Welcome to your July newsletter. I hope you and your family are well. As lockdown restrictions in the UK begin to ease, and sectors of the economy reopen, we've joined with other leading medical research charities to highlight the effects of the pandemic on charity-funded research. For Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the devastating impact on our fundraising may force us to cut 150m a year in research funding. So we're collectively asking for a targeted financial support from the Government, through a Government-charity co-investment scheme for life science research.
We must act now and you can help us advocate for Government support. Send a tweet directly to your MP and encourage them to sign this joint letter to the Chancellor, asking him to take action to preserve medical research charities' vital contributions to the UK science base.
COVID-19 has been a major event in time, but in the past few months the international reaction to events sparked in America, which have shone a light on the longstanding racial inequalities that exist in society, including organisations like CRUK and the research system we help fund, has been equally momentous. It's vital we confront systemic racism and racial inequality in scientific research. At CRUK, we champion quality, diversity and inclusion in research, but we recognise we still need to do more. Together with our chief clinician, Professor Charles Swanton, and our chief scientist, Professor Karen Vousden, we've shared our commitment and 7-point plan to help create a more inclusive research environment for Black and all minority ethnic researchers. It's incumbent on all of us to take action against racism and bring about change in our society and we will make this a priority going forward.
Kind regards,
Iain Foulkes Executive Director, Research & Innovation Cancer Research UK |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
| | | EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER, MID-CAREER RESEARCHER, ESTABLISHED INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER, CLINICIAN, NON-CLINICAL RESEARCHER 23 July 2020 |
|
|---|
|
|---|
| | | EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER, ESTABLISHED INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER, MID-CAREER RESEARCHER, NON-CLINICAL RESEARCHER, CLINICIAN, INDUSTRY RESEARCHER 30 July 2020 |
|
|---|
|
|---|
| | | MID-CAREER RESEARCHER, ESTABLISHED INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER, CLINICIAN, NON-CLINICAL RESEARCHER 20 August 2020 |
|
|---|
|
|---|
| | | ESTABLISHED INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER, CLINICIAN, NON-CLINICAL RESEARCHER 20 August 2020 |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
| | HELP PROTECT LIFE-SAVING RESEARCH We recently announced potential cuts to our research funding of up to 150 million a year, while our income recovers from the effects of COVID-19. Such a sharp fall in funding could have a devastating impact on UK cancer research. We're doing all we can to ensure this doesnt happen. You can help us advocate for Government support. Send a tweet to your MP and encourage them to sign a joint letter to the Chancellor. This letter asks him to take action to preserve medical research charities vital contributions to the UK science base. Also, follow @CRUK_Policy on twitter and retweet our posts about research funding to show additional support this will help to amplify our message online. |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
CANCER RESEARCHERS' LOCKDOWN EXPERIENCE What has the COVID-19 pandemic been like for cancer researchers? We asked them to respond to our survey, and 185 people shared their experience of lockdown. Eighty per cent shared they were working from home, while 12% were able to continue with their lab, translational or clinical work on cancer. For those working at home, lockdown became a time to reflect and plan research, but many people struggled to balance work and childcare. Technology has helped researchers continue communicating and collaborating during lockdown, with over 90% telling us they feel well connected with colleagues. Thank you to all who participated in our survey. The collated results and experiences that were shared will be helpful to inform our fundraising, policy and advocacy work. |
|
|---|
| TOGETHER WE WILL STILL BEAT CANCER In a new video, CRUK researchers across the UK voice their experiences of adapting and continuing to conduct life-saving research amid the pandemic restrictions. Ten researchers explain how they've responded and adapted to the pandemic, and what motivated them to continue their scientific research. Among others, we hear from Steven Bagley (CRUK Manchester Institute), who's been 3D printing face shields for the NHS; Senior Research Nurse, Ruth Boyd (Belfast Trust), who's taking care of patients involved in cancer clinical trials; and PhD student Sigourney Bell (CRUK Cambridge Institute), who's splitting her time between home working and runnng critical experiments in the lab. |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
| | CONFRONTING RACISM IN RESEARCH We've published a statement outlining our commitment to confront systemic racism and create meaningful change in our research activities. We outline 7 actions we are committed to undertake to address systemic racism in our funding activity and build a more inclusive research environment. These include developing a strategy to understand and address bias in our research funding processes, and starting a dialogue with our researchers who identify as Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) to understand the different barriers and issues they face. |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
A LANDMARK CANCER MICROBIOME COLLABORATION We're working with Microbiotica and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to identify and develop microbiome-based medicines and biomarkers for cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. The collaboration will identify specific gut bacterial genomic signatures correlated with drug efficacy and side effects in patients being treated for melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and renal carcinoma. From these signatures, Microbiotica will develop live bacterial products as co-therapies and microbiome biomarkers predictive of immunotherapy response and toxicity into the clinic. |
|
|---|
| START SOMETHING AMAZING WITH A VIRTUAL SEMINAR As part of our Entrepreneurial Programmes Initiative, we're partnering with Start Codon to deliver virtual training seminars on entrepreneurial skills for cancer researchers. Start Codon supports the development of start-up businesses that address unmet medical needs. Dr Jason Mellad, CEO and co-founder of Start Codon, will deliver the first session titled 'Start Something Amazing'. This session will focus on how to develop your innovative idea to an investment opportunity, and then into a globally successful company. Jason is a scientist-entrepreneur who is passionate about translating innovative technologies into better patient outcomes. Learn more and sign-up to the event on Eventbrite. |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
| | KEEPING PATIENTS ON CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS The clinical community has had to make some tough decisions over the last few months to keep patients safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Centre for Drug Development (CDD) has managed to adapt to keep early stage cancer trials running. When the COVID-19 outbreak began in the UK, the CDD had 6 early-phase trials in operation. The CDD team had to re-strategise and think radically to ensure these kept running as safely as possible. They developed creative ideas for home-based treatment so that patients could continue their medication regime and would only go to hospital when necessary. |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
CRUK SPINOUT ACCEPTED ONTO ILLUMINA ACCELERATOR We are delighted that Tailor Bio has been accepted onto the Illumina Accelerator. Tailor Bio is an oncology diagnostics company spun out of CRUK-funded research. The company is developing a proprietary precision oncology platform to identify patterns in tumour DNA to predict a patient's response to cancer drugs. The Illumina Accelerator provides startups with access to seed investments, business guidance, Illumina's sequencing systems and reagents, and fully operational lab space. Two of Tailor Bio's founders, Dr Geoff Macintyre and Dr Anna Piskorz won the CRUK Innovation Prize in 2019 as part of our Entrepreneurial Programme Initiative. |
|
|---|
| COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS RECEIVE TWO ASAP AWARDS Our Strategic Alliance team, who manage researcher and industry alliances, have been recognised for their excellence by the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP). On the 23 June, they were awarded the ASAP Individual Alliance Excellence Award for the alliance between Bristol-Myers Squibb and our Therapeutic Discovery Labs. This award recognises the team's innovative financing structure and their ambitious vision for progressing early cancer targets to completion in Phase I trials. The team, who sit within our Commercial Partnerships (CP) team and are led by Associate Director Laura Fletcher, also won the Alliance Program Excellence award. The judges acknowledged the best practice implemented by the team and the rarity of a formal alliance management section in the charity sector. |
|
|---|
|
|---|
|
|
| Been forwarded this email? Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date. |
|---|
| |
|---|
|
|
|
