{"id":26087,"date":"2020-06-23T23:05:08","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T23:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=17703"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:16:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:16:46","slug":"opinion-uk-cancer-research-could-be-set-back-years-by-covid-19-we-must-act-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/opinion-uk-cancer-research-could-be-set-back-years-by-covid-19-we-must-act-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: \u2018UK\u00a0cancer\u00a0research could be\u00a0set back years\u00a0by COVID-19. We must act now\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Today, we announced<\/span> that <\/span>because of COVID-19 and the<\/span> devastating<\/span> impact it\u2019s had on our income,<\/span> we could be forced to cut \u00a3150 million per year from our research funding<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Michelle<\/p>\n

Michelle Mitchell is our chief executive officer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

As an organisation whose <\/span>sole<\/span> mission is to beat cancer \u2013 to ensure that fewer people are diagnosed and those that are can face the future with more confidence<\/span> <\/span>\u2013 it\u2019s not an announcement we ever wanted to make. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

These cuts would<\/span> undoubtedly<\/span> set back progress for cancer patients everywhere. To put the figure in context, \u00a3150<\/span> million<\/span> is what Cancer Research<\/span> UK<\/span> would spend on clinical trials over the next 10 years.<\/span> \u00a3150 million is approximately <\/span>35%<\/span> of <\/span>our<\/span> total research spend <\/span> <\/span>last<\/span> year, and a cut like this could mean <\/span>we have to close some of <\/span>our <\/span>sites around the country and leave<\/span> thousands of early<\/span>\u2013<\/span>career scientists unsupported<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Figures<\/span> like th<\/span>e<\/span>s<\/span>e<\/span>, which<\/span> are <\/span>echoed by<\/span> <\/span>medical research charities across the UK, should be<\/span> enough to ring<\/span> alarm bells across th<\/span>e<\/span> sector and <\/span>for the Government<\/span>.<\/span> But the truth is the impact will be much bigger, and much broader, than a single number could ever <\/span>convey<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Because we don\u2019t just fund over 50% of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK, we\u2019re also a vita<\/span>l part of <\/span>the country\u2019s<\/span> <\/span>scientific ecosystem. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Charities bring innovation and infrastructure to research across the country<\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n

The UK is celebrated a<\/span>s a <\/span>world <\/span>leader in research and innovation, and one of the reasons for this success is the mix of <\/span>government<\/span>, private and charity-fund<\/span>ed<\/span> research. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Medical research charities <\/span>help to drive progress<\/span> by funding early-stage, high <\/span>risk research<\/span> that wouldn\u2019t otherwise be supported. And t<\/span>he insights that our researchers generate feed the pipeline of pharma companies all over the world. In fact, <\/span>C<\/span>ancer <\/span>R<\/span>esearch <\/span>UK is the second biggest licensor <\/span>of cancer drugs <\/span>in the world, after MD Anderson in Texas<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Take vemurafenib<\/span> for example<\/span>, <\/span>a targeted cancer drug that<\/span> <\/span>by mid-2018 had been used to treat<\/span> over<\/span> 50,000 patients with malignant melanoma worldwide. <\/span>This drug came from early research funded by Cancer Research UK and other charity partners<\/span>,<\/span> <\/span>which<\/span> revealed a <\/span>particular mutation<\/span> that cropped up <\/span>in <\/span>a lot <\/span>of melanomas<\/span>. <\/span>The mutation was patented as a target for drug screens and patient tests<\/span>. A<\/span>ll 5 named inve<\/span>n<\/span>tors<\/span> were<\/span> UK<\/span>-based<\/span> scientists. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

As well as funding individual research projects, w<\/span>e<\/span> <\/span>also <\/span>contribute a <\/span>great <\/span>deal to <\/span>the research and innovation sector \u2013 through our work and our people. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/span>e\u2019ve <\/span>built<\/span> a vibrant <\/span>platform<\/span> for cancer research across the UK through our Institutes and Clinical Trials Unit \u2013 funding 50% of the cancer research infrastructure in the UK. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Our long-term investment in state-of-the-art facilities has helped to create a thriving network of research at 90 institutions in over 40 UK towns and cities. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

This infrastructure is<\/span> part of what makes the UK a <\/span>key player on the world stage, and an attractive place for cancer experts to bring their skills.<\/span> <\/span>It\u2019s this infrastructure that\u2019s at risk if we don\u2019t get the <\/span>support we need and,<\/span> <\/span>at a time when the Government is working to rebalance research investment across the UK,<\/span> it\u2019s an infrastructure that would be hard to recreate in our absence. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Our ambitions rely on our dedicated researchers<\/span><\/h2>\n

But while <\/span>our centres <\/span>and clinical trials network <\/span>are <\/span>crucial piece<\/span>s<\/span> of our<\/span> success, <\/span>they\u2019re brought to life by the scientists who work within them. <\/span>We <\/span>fund over 4,000 researchers in labs and hospitals across the UK. <\/span>And as well as world leading experts, we\u2019re helping to train the next generation of scientists, supporting over 500 PhD students<\/span>, 160 fellows and 600 post-doctoral researchers. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

With COVID-19 delaying cancer research<\/span>, diagnosis and treatment, t<\/a><\/span>hese scientists have played a vital role<\/a> in the UK\u2019s response to the coronavirus pandemic, volunteering in COVID-19 testing facilities, redeploying to the front line and using their skills and expertise to help tackle the virus<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

And with the Chancellor highlighting research and innovation<\/a> as a road to economic recovery, our researchers will also play a role in helping to rebuild the economy. Through our entrepreneurial programmes, we help the cancer research community to translate their discoveries into products and launch spinout companies that will improve the lives of people with cancer. Cancer Research UK has formed more than 40 spinout companies so far, which have collectively raised around \u00a31 billion in third party investment and created thousands of jobs and many new treatments over the years.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re <\/span>proud to be a part of t<\/span>he <\/span>UK\u2019s research and innovation sector<\/span>, b<\/span>ut we will never forget why we\u2019re here, and what we\u2019re here to do. <\/span>Cancer Research UK exists because of the generosity of our supporters and the public\u2019s commitment to our ambition of improving cancer diagnosis, treatment and care.  And it\u2019s a responsibility we take very seriously.<\/span>  <\/span><\/p>\n

We fund research that will <\/span>accelerate progress to<\/span>wards our goal of <\/span>beating cancer<\/span>. <\/span>We\u2019ve identified cancer types where progress has been slower<\/span> \u2013 lung, pancreatic, brain and oesophageal cancers \u2013<\/span> and <\/span>increased our efforts <\/span>and our funding in these areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s this<\/span> kind of<\/span> <\/span>patient-centric, strategic research investment that\u2019s at<\/span> risk because of the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

We must act now <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve written before<\/a> about <\/span>how medical research charities are slipping through the cracks of Government support<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span>And with <\/span>COVID-19\u2019s impact <\/span>on medical research charities still unfolding<\/span>, <\/span>we need the Government to rethink its strategy<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Our mission is clear \u2013 to beat cancer.<\/span> And with the impact of COVID-19 <\/span>being keenly felt by<\/span> people with cancer<\/span>, it\u2019s never been more important. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

We and other medical research charities<\/span> urgently need support to ensure we can continue to support today and tomorrow\u2019s patients and contribute to economic growth. <\/span>This is why<\/span> we\u2019re working with other medical research charities<\/span> to ask for targeted financial support from the Government,<\/span> th<\/span>rough a Government-charity co-investment scheme for life sciences research.<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Together we can still beat cancer, but we<\/span> can\u2019t do it alone.  <\/span>We\u2019ve partnered with government for many years, and we now need their support more than ever if we want to rebuild the UK as a leader<\/span> in<\/span> <\/span>cancer research<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Michelle Mitchell is the chief executive officer of Cancer Research UK <\/em><\/p>\n

More on this topic<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today, we announced that because of COVID-19 and the devastating impact it\u2019s had on our income, we could be forced to cut \u00a3150 million per year from our research funding.  Michelle Mitchell is our chief executive officer. As an organisation whose sole mission is to beat cancer \u2013 to ensure that fewer people are diagnosed and those that are can face the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26087"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44263,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26087\/revisions\/44263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}