Researchers go on the run to raise funds
Scientists at the Cancer Research UK Drug Discovery Unit in 缅北禁地 are urging people to sign up to Race for Life and raise money for life-saving research.
8 July 2022
Scientists at the Cancer Research UK Drug Discovery Unit in 缅北禁地 are urging people to Race for Life and raise money for life-saving research
CANCER medicinal chemists are going on the run to raise funds for life-saving research and are urging others to do the same.
Cancer Research UK-sponsored researchers, based at the 缅北禁地 Centre for Cancer, are taking on a half marathon fundraising challenge.
And they鈥檙e encouraging others to back Cancer Research UK by joining the Race for Life events at Town Moor, 缅北禁地, on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July.
Professor Mike Waring, head of chemistry at the Centre for Cancer, will be among those taking part in the 10k Race for Life, after he鈥檚 officially sounded the starter horn. Women, men and children can choose from 3k, 5k and 10k races and Pretty Muddy, a mud-splattered obstacle course, plus Pretty Muddy for Kids.
In September, Mike and seven colleagues from the chemistry group will be taking part in the Great North Run in their home city to raise even more money for vital research
The medicinal chemistry team is part of the 缅北禁地 CRUK Drug Discovery Group, where they work with bioscientists, pharmacologists and structural biologists to develop new treatments for cancers.
Their research has already delivered four new medicines that are in clinical use to treat cancer patients and their current work is focused on new molecular treatments for precision oncology, targeting cancers that are resistant to existing therapies. Their hope is that this will lead to more effective and kinder medicines for cancer patients.
The team鈥檚 work is dependent on funding from Cancer Research UK.
Mike said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e fundraising, first and foremost, because our group is sponsored by Cancer Research UK and we鈥檙e really dependent on that money to be able to develop cancer drugs. We want to bring new therapies to people, research costs money and we are dependent on the fundraising and donations of the public for that. We feel it鈥檚 vital that we do our bit for fundraising as well as research.
鈥淔or me personally and for many of the members of the group, as well as being researchers, our lives have been affected by cancer. Most significantly for me, I lost my dad to bladder cancer in 2019. Our research and our fundraising are motivated by the desire to find more effective and kinder treatments for patients in the future.鈥�
Chemistry group senior research associate Dr Suzannah Harnor, who is working on new treatments for breast cancer, is coordinating the team鈥檚 annual fundraising efforts, which have a target of 拢3,000.
Suzannah said her father-in-law died from cancer and other family members are being treated for the disease.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely close to home for my family,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e worked in labs and benefited from these funds for me to do my research. It鈥檚 giving that little bit back and coming full circle to raise funds for our own research.鈥�
The fundraising activities started with a bake sale that brought in 拢600, organised by PhD student Will Thompson, who is developing molecules that degrade proteins which drive cancer.
Will said: 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 life has been touched by cancer in some way. I鈥檓 one of the lucky ones, I still have my grandad around after his lymphoma was successfully treated a few years back. It鈥檚 the funding of research organisations like this that enables more people to have the same experience as I had, increasing the possibility of remission and allowing people to keep their loved ones around for longer.鈥�
The team members taking part in the Great North Run are: Professor Mike Waring, Dr Hannah Stewart, Dr Jennyfer Ricci, Jessica Graham, Matt Anderson, Will Thompson, Jake Odger and Catherine Salvini.
Senior research associate Hannah Stewart, who is developing medicines for drug resistant lung cancer, said: 鈥淚鈥檓 running in the Great North Run because as a researcher in the Drug Discovery Unit, I see every day the important research going on that will one day change lives 鈥� none of which would be possible without the fundraising that goes on across the country every day.鈥�
Every year around 17,600 people are diagnosed with cancer in the North East*. Money鈥痳aised at Race for Life鈥痚nables鈥痵cientists鈥痶o鈥痜ind new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer鈥�-鈥痟elping to save more lives.
Cancer Research UK鈥檚 Race for Life,鈥痠n partnership with Tesco, raises funds for world-class research to help beat 200 types of cancer 鈥� including bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, brain cancer, children鈥檚 cancers鈥痑nd leukaemia.鈥�赌�&苍产蝉辫;
To enter, visit鈥�鈥赌�&苍产蝉辫;
To sponsor the team, visit their