Cancer Research UK
Thanks to research, more people than ever are surviving their cancer. In the 1970s, just 1 in 4 people in the UK survived cancer for 10 years or more. Today, that figure has doubled. But, we have so much more to do. We need to go further, and faster.
In the West Midlands, around 33,300 people are diagnosed with cancer every year* and sadly, around 15,000 of them do not survive their diagnosis**. We urgently need to advance research to improve survival for people with cancer. Together, we can support ground-breaking science that will help to save and improve lives for generations to come.
Our pioneering work across the UK, including in the West Midlands, benefits from the generosity of supporters leaving a gift to Cancer Research UK in their Will. In fact, legacy gifts fund a third of our research.
Cancer Research UK funds a world-leading network of centres and institutes, driving our understanding of cancer biology and developing new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. It’s thanks to our incredible supporters that we consistently provide world-class leadership in cancer research.
In the West Midlands, our researchers at the University of Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) and the Birmingham Adult and Paediatric Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs) are determined to make a difference for people with cancer in this region and beyond.
Our Birmingham CTU delivers innovative and practice-changing clinical research that impacts the care and outcomes for people with cancer in the UK and across the world - including a leading international unit for trials in children’s cancer and leukaemia.
The ECMCs, jointly supported by us and the National Institute for Health Research, bring together lab scientists and cancer doctors from local NHS trusts and universities with the united goal of speeding up the flow of ideas and new treatments from the lab to the clinic. By bringing together experts, these research hubs are accelerating the translation of cutting-edge discoveries from the lab into direct benefits for people with cancer.
Our research is revolutionising what we know about cancer and how we can beat it. Yet, despite all this progress, too many people still die prematurely from cancer. We must understand the mechanisms of how cancer develops and progresses to unlock new ways to prevent, detect and treat it.
In Birmingham, Dr Clare Davies is investigating a molecule called PRMT5. This molecule has a key role in driving cancer development and can sometimes cause treatments to stop working. Dr Davies hopes to learn more about the role of PRMT5 in the development and progression of cancer, and its potential as a target for new drugs.
Using breast cancer samples, Dr Davies is combining a variety of laboratory approaches to explore the mechanisms by which PMRT5 regulates cancer and can promote drug resistance. Dr Davies’ research will generate valuable insights into cancer and could help guide the development of new treatments.
For any new treatments targeting PMRT5, it will be vital to have ways to predict which cancers will respond. The team are looking for molecular clues that could predict when these treatments could be successful. By developing new ways to tailor treatments to each individual, we can help match each person with the treatment that works best for them.
This research could also have important implications beyond breast cancer, and treatments targeting PMRT5 could be effective across many cancer types.
Dr Davies’ work wouldn’t be possible without the help of our incredible supporters. These donations, including gifts in Wills, are accelerating progress towards a world where people can live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.
‘I find it very touching that people leave gifts in their Will to Cancer Research UK, as this is clearly a considered process and a charity that means a lot to the donor. I’m incredibly grateful, and it’s an honour to have our work supported in this way. Thanks to gifts in Wills and the hard work of supporters at Cancer Research UK, I can address complex scientific questions, which ultimately will have a real benefit to patients,’ Dr Davies said.
Join us to help fund pioneering researchers like Dr Davies and make cancer a thing of the past.
Together we will beat cancer.
To get your free Gifts in Wills Guide, visit cruk.org/pledgewestmidlands
