| Dear Voornaam, Welcome to your May newsletter. I hope you are well. At Cancer Research UK (CRUK), we fund around 400m of world-class cancer research each year, but we are keen to see more of that research progress from the lab to patients. This can be a complex journey which requires funding, partners, and training. I am therefore pleased to announce the launch of our powerful innovation engine, Cancer Research Horizons. It will combine our commercialisation activities previously provided via Cancer Research Technology with our drug discovery laboratories, network of world-class biology, technology platforms and clinical expertise for the first time under a united leadership team.
We will work together with our brilliant research community and partners to harness the potential of the most exciting cancer research happening globally and translate it into tools, tests and treatments through our new approach to therapeutic innovation. We will provide new sources of funding to help catalyse innovations and help them get to market around the world. We will provide training and mentorship opportunities for new scientific entrepreneurs, and we will connect people and their ideas in a diverse ecosystem to help accelerate progress. You are a valued member of our community, and I encourage you to tap into Cancer Research Horizons opportunities for researchers, so that your research has the best path to reach patients. Follow Cancer Research Horizons on Twitter and LinkedIn for updates.
With innovation and patient benefit front of mind, it gives me enormous pleasure that weve recently funded the BEST4 trial, led by Rebecca Fitzgerald and Peter Sasieni. We hope that this study will provide the critical evidence to establish Cytosponge as a screening device to detect Barretts oesophagus in England.
I'd also like to invite you to join us in London on 16 May to celebrate the launch of our new prevention research strategy. Hear about how were broadening our vision in this space, building a multidisciplinary community of prevention researchers and the funding opportunities available to you.
And finally, it was fantastic to see many of you at AACR last month, which saw plenty of fantastic CRUK-funded research presented. Warm congratulations to Andrew Tutt and colleagues at The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden, for the AACR Team Science Award, recognising their translational discoveries in breast cancer research that have led to significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Read our interview with Andrew on our blog.
Kind regards, Iain Foulkes Executive Director, Research & Innovation Cancer Research UK |
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| | | Applications accepted all-year round |
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INTRODUCING CANCER RESEARCH HORIZONS An integral part of our new drug discovery, development and commercialisation company is our ambitious approach to therapeutic innovation. Were combining the strengths of our established drug discovery expertise, based at the Francis Crick Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Beatson Institute and Newcastle University. Cancer Research Horizons will be home to over 200 drug discovery scientists and will use cutting-edge technology platforms and drug discovery capabilities, including our Antibody Alliance Laboratory and Functional Genomics Centre, to tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs. Alongside this, Cancer Research Horizons will provide research commercialisation support, intellectual property advice, entrepreneurial programmes and 30m of seed funding to help tackle the translational gap. |
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 CALL FOR CRISPR SCREENING PROJECT PROPOSALS The Cancer Research Horizons-AstraZeneca Functional Genomics Centre provides CRUK-funded researchers access to genome-wide, pooled CRISPR screening capabilities. If your research could benefit from our state-of-the-art CRISPR technology, wed love to work with you to progress your research. We review and accept proposals every 2 months the next deadline is 15 June. |
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|  LET'S TALK ABOUT INNOVATION Our Innovation Summit is back, and its in Newcastle on 26 May. Well hear from successful entrepreneurs who have commercialised their research and bring members of the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, partners and industry professionals together to share their thinking and advice. Tickets are free. View the agenda to see whos speaking. The summit is open to all researchers working or interested in translating their research and entrepreneurialism. |
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| | 6.4M INVESTMENT FOR LATEST CYTOSPONGE TRIAL Together with the National Institute for Health and Care Research, were jointly investing 6.4m over the next 14 years in BEST4, the latest trial for the Cytosponge as a screening device for detecting Barretts oesophagus. We hope that this trial will provide the final evidence of the impact on oesophageal cancer mortality of screening using Cytosponge. Rebecca Fitzgerald (University of Cambridge) and Peter Sasieni (Kings College London) will lead the BEST4 trial, which will build on previous Cytosponge studies. |
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 SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT FOR OUR BRAIN TUMOUR CONFERENCE The abstract deadline for the CRUK Brain Tumour Conference is 17 June. Abstracts are welcome on any of the conference session themes. This is a great opportunity for students and postdocs to showcase their work alongside a stellar line-up of leading international scientists, including Sally Temple (Neural Stem Cell Institute), Shawn Hervey-Jumper (University of California) and Gabriele Bergers (VIB-KU Leuven Center for Cancer Biology). |
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|  CLINICAL TRIAL FELLOWSHIP AWARD NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS Our Clinical Trial Fellowship Award supports clinicians who would benefit from further training within a clinical trials unit. We'll provide up to 50,000 per year for up to 3 years to cover 50% of your salary, running expenses and equipment. If you're interested in applying or have any questions, please get in touch.
Applications are open until 14 September. |
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 WHAT WE'RE DOING TO SUPPORT RECOVERY OF CLINICAL RESEARCH Throughout the pandemic, clinical staff have worked hard to keep cancer research going wherever possible. However, its clear that clinical research is taking much longer to recover to pre-pandemic levels than hoped. Were working with the government to make sure recovery is a priority, but we know theres a lot more to do. We invited members of the clinical research community to ask us questions on what were doing to support recovery. |
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|  NEW REGULATORY ROUTES FOR CANCER TREATMENT IN BRITAIN When the UK left the EU in 2020, the MHRA became a standalone regulator, and this has provided an opportunity to review the drug development and access pathway. Over the past year, the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) Programme Office has worked with stakeholders and regulators to translate and compile all the new regulatory approvals processes. They've now published a paper to help people working in cancer clinical research navigate the new regulatory research landscape. |
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| | JOIN THE STICK TO SCIENCE INITIATIVE The Stick to Science initiative is seeking additional European signatories to support in highlighting the benefits of UK and Swiss scientific collaboration with the EU. Stick to Science is an online signature campaign calling for recognition that advancement in research and innovation is best achieved when we collaborate regardless of geographic boundaries. The campaign asks political leaders to put scientific collaboration before politics, by urging swift progression of the association agreements with Switzerland and the UK to Horizon Europe and the European Research Area. |
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 THE AWARD-WINNING TEAM TRANSFORMING BREAST CANCER TREATMENT Among the excitement at AACR this year, a group of UK cancer researchers were named Team Science Award winners for seminal translational discoveries in breast cancer research that have led to significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment and the discovery of new therapeutic approaches. We spoke to team leader, Professor Andrew Tutt, about how to build a successful scientific team, the importance of translation and why you always need a touch of humbleness. |
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|  LISTEN TO EPISODE 2 OF THE CANCER RESEARCH MATTERS PODCAST Cancer Research Matters provokes conversation around cancer science, how it shapes our understanding of the disease and the challenges we face as we develop therapies. Back in March, we spoke to Stephen Jackson (University of Cambridge Frederick James Quick Professor of Biology) about his serendipitous discovery in the field of DNA damage repair and how this led to the commercialisation of DNA repair inhibitors with his spinout company, KuDOS Pharmaceuticals. Keep your eyes peeled for our next episode! |
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| | | How to start and grow a business with Dr Jason Mellad 12 May 2022 |
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| | | The Francis Crick Institute symposium 20 June 2022 |
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