Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson marked World Cancer Day at a special Cancer Research UK event in Westminster last week, championing the advances in research that are making science fiction, science fact. Taking place in February each year, World Cancer Day unites people around the globe to raise awareness and call on governments to tackle the disease.
The Epping Forest MP met with the charity’s campaigners and researchers, who are driving forward new discoveries and cancer breakthroughs. Guests included world-class scientists from the NexTGen team – part of Cancer Grand Challenges, a global cancer research initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US.
The team – co-funded with The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research - are engineering next-generation immunotherapies for children and young people with solid tumours, like sarcomas and brain tumours. The goal is for these cutting-edge immunotherapies to become frontline treatments for youngsters with these hard-to-treat cancers within the next decade, driving up survival rates and reducing the risk of severe, life-long side effects such as learning difficulties and infertility. Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest charitable funder of cancer research. In the last 50 years, its work has helped to double cancer survival in the UK, but the disease remains the UK’s leading cause of death.
Commenting on the special event Dr Neil Hudson said:
“Uniting to beat cancer has never been more important and it was great to meet with frontline scientists and clinicians working in this vital area, that touches so many people in our country.”
“Innovation and scientific developments like this put the UK on the map as a global leader in cancer research. But most important of all they add up to more precious moments for people affected by cancer and their families and that deserves our support.”
Head of Public Affairs and Campaigning at Cancer Research UK, Shaun Walsh, said:
“We’re grateful to Dr Neil Hudson for championing our work.
“We’re now in a golden age for cancer research. With advances in digital, genomics, data science and AI, we’re able to reimagine what’s possible. New tools and technologies mean we can do things in hours that used to take years, putting us on the brink of making huge leaps forward in how we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer now and in the future.
“But the promise this offers cancer patients isn’t guaranteed. It needs political will and investment. We look forward to working with Government and MPs from across the political spectrum to ensure the forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England is a real turning point to dramatically improve cancer outcomes in this country. Together, we must seize this vital opportunity to fight cancer on all fronts and help turn hope into reality for everyone affected by cancer in England.”
To support life-saving research visit cruk.org
