Scientists leading vital cancer research
Using cash donated by patients and their families alongside well-wishers, Hope Against Cancer has donated more than £1 million for work which could give thousands a brighter future.
It has funded at least 10 research trials in Leicester to try to discover the cause of different cancers and in turn find ways of developing better treatments.
Already, scientists said they had made "unexpected and exciting advances" which could transform treatment of lymphoblastic leukaemia, a cancer which affects young children.
The disease affects about 500 children a year nationwide, including 10 in Leicestershire.
By studying blood and bone marrow samples a scientific team led by Professor Martin Dyer at the University of Leicester has found changes in children's DNA which can cause cancer.
Prof Dyer, an honorary consultant physician at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, believes the breakthrough in understanding how the cancer develops could soon lead to the start of developing more targeted treatment for sufferers.
He said: "I don't think it will be too long before we are looking at developing more targeted treatments.
"We are the only centre in Europe doing some of these studies."
Some of the conditions that have been under the microscope include cancer of bladder, prostate and breast cancer as well as leukaemia.
Alistair Brookes is in the second year of a two-year clinical research fellowship.
His work concentrates on how compounds found in food could be used to fight cancer.
He said: "Vegetables such as broccoli can decrease your risk of developing bowel cancer.
"We are looking at combining compounds found in these vegetables with commercially available anti-cancer drugs to develop new, more effective treatment."
Scientist Renata Walweska is hoping her work will help improve life for sufferers with lymphatic leukamia. She said: "Leicester is a great place for this research. It will also be good for patients when we begin trials of new drugs."
Hope Against Cancer was founded five years ago by Allison Wilson, then High Sheriff of Leicestershire, after she discovered she had cancer.
Among its major donors has been charity, Jemima Invites, set up by James and Polly Sellicks, from Billesdon, whose daughter is being treated for lymphoblastic leukaemia. It has raised £100,000.
Mr Sellicks said: "It is humbling to hear about the exciting research."
Wendi Stevens, charity's co-ordinator, said: "All the money, which has been raised in Leicestershire, has been used in the area.
"We want to build on that. The more people who know about us and want to join us the more we will be able to do."
PROFESSOR MARTIN DYER
Professor Martin Dyer is hoping to find effective cures for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
He is the holder of the Allison Wilson Fellowship which is worth £15,000 a year.
He and his team believe they have found previously unidentified types of DNA damage.
This means they can start looking at how this damages causes acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Prof Dyer is also an honorary consultant with the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
RENATA WALWESKA
Scientist Renata Walweska is the holder of a two-year clinical research fellowship to try to discover ways of slowing down and stopping one of the most common cancers – lymphatic leukaemia.
There is currently no cure for the disease, which affects between 30 and 50 people per 100,000. Doctors in Leicester diagnose about 80 new cases a year.
Renata is hoping that better understanding of the biology of the white blood cells affected by a particular protein will prove the key to understanding a range of leukaemias and lymphomas.
ALISTAIR BROOKES
Alistair Brookes is in the second year of a two-year clinical research fellowship.
He is trying to develop effective treatments for patients with bowel cancer that has spread to the liver.
His work is centred on how compounds found in vegetables might be combined and produced commercially as an anti-cancer drug.
He said: "It is well established that diet affects the risk of developing cancer."
Mr Brookes is hoping to pinpoint a compound which can be taken forward into a clinical trial.
KAREN LORD
Karen Lord is the holder of the charity's first two-year nursing fellowship, awarded in January last year.
The clinical nurse specialist from Leicester Royal Infirmary is investing how people from different ethnic backgrounds react to a diagnosis of cancer.
She said: "I want to make sure that we are meeting the needs of everyone.
"Some groups see being diagnosed as a punishment from God, others we need to find a different way of asking questions in line with their customs, and there are some groups where the family must be involved in the decision-making."
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