Science Talk: the ICR blog

Natalie Pearce, 52, was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer in November 2012. She subsequently discovered she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation, putting her at a higher risk of developing various cancers. Following surgery and treatment, Natalie has been cancer free since April 2013.

Jesse was two years old when he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer, in November 2023. Now, a year since his diagnosis and thankfully in remission, Jesse’s mum, Polly, shares their story to mark World Children’s Day.

Sue Vincent was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007 when she was 54. In 2010 she discovered it had spread and was inoperable. She was told she had just months to live, until a new targeted treatment changed everything. Sue lives with her husband Pete in Solihull, Birmingham – between them they have four daughters and five grandchildren, with another on the way next year.

Dr Jessica May Hislop joined The Institute of Cancer Research as a Bioinformatician in the Houlston Lab in the Genetics and Epidemiology division. Together with her colleagues, she is working towards understanding how mutations in our DNA lead to cancer. But her career almost took an entirely different direction.

Alex Naim, 27, a solution engineer living in London, completed the Royal Parks Half Marathon and raised thousands of pounds for our vital research, even though running is one of his least favourite pastimes. Here he tells his story.

Professor Amy Berrington explains how she and a team of scientists from around the world took on the challenge of updating a classic text for cancer researchers.

Dr Rachael Natrajan leads the Functional Genomics group in the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she reveals what it was like to take on the biggest challenge of her life, cycling from Venice to Rome in just four days to raise funds for our vital research.

We’re now 100 days into the new Government and the ICR’s Advocacy Manager, Ollie Richards, outlines what academic institutions need the Government to prioritise to help us on our mission to continue making the discoveries that defeat cancer.

Shelley Harding is a familiar face at the Terry Fox UK runs. A Canadian, who moved to London 23 years ago, she sells official event T-shirts to raise vital funds for The Institute of Cancer Research. This year she attended Terry Fox Runs in Battersea Park, Hampshire and will be at Wrexham this weekend. Last month she was invited to a special Terry Fox reception at Canada House in London, where Fred Fox spoke about his brother.

Professor Paul Workman is Harrap Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at The Institute of Cancer Research. He has worked in the field of cancer research for more than 50 years and was the ICR’s Chief Executive and President from 2014 to 2021. During his leadership, he oversaw many of our scientific successes – including the development of smarter and kinder forms of radiotherapy. Now, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer himself in 2022, he reflects on his experience as both a leading cancer scientist and now a cancer patient.

Alison and Brian set up the Doing It For Daniel Foundation in memory of their son, Daniel, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour at the age of 16 and passed away seven months later. Here, Alison shares their story and explains why the ICR’s research into a cure for Daniel’s cancer is so important.

Andrea Calderon, 28, is originally from Texas, USA, but she will be running the Berlin Marathon this Sunday 29th September in honour of her younger brother, Edu, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of five. Edu passed away in 2020 when he was 11 years old.

Collaboration is essential in science. By sharing knowledge, ideas and skills, we can turn a disease from one that is always fatal into one that is often treatable or even curable. This collaboration can take many forms and involve multiple groups of people. Here, Isy Godfrey meets two scientists who work closely not only with each other, their other team members and their peers abroad but also with two of our amazing family charity partners.

Postdoctoral researchers – also known as postdocs – are essential to scientific research. After completing their doctoral studies, a researcher might choose to continue their training and academic career progression through a fixed term postdoc position. Dr Elise Glen, our Head of Researcher Development, writes about why the ICR is such a great place to do a postdoc.

Terry Fox is a Canadian hero. He lost his leg to osteogenic sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, but in 1980 began a ‘Marathon of Hope’ – running 3,339 miles over 143 days to raise awareness and money for cancer research. His dream to run across Canada was cut short after his cancer spread to his lungs and he died aged 22. Terry continues to inspire people in Canada and beyond to raise money for cancer research, and in the UK the Terry Fox Association proudly supports The Institute of Cancer Research. Brian Whitman is a Canadian currently serving with NATO at its Allied Maritime Command at the Northwood base in north-west London.

Childhood cancer treatment is challenging, with certain cancer types proving particularly difficult to treat. Although researchers have made significant progress, the outlook for children with some cancer types remains poor. Even when children are successfully treated, they often have to contend with the life-long effects of their treatment. Isy Godfrey spoke with Professor Sir Mel Greaves, a world leader in childhood leukaemia research, about recent progress in childhood cancer and what motivates him to keep going despite the challenges and setbacks he has encountered.

This year, our Spring Appeal is focused on hard-to-treat cancers. These include lung cancer, for which there is still a lack of effective treatments. Although researchers are making progress against the disease, they are sometimes hampered by the stigma that surrounds it because of its well-known link with smoking. Here, we speak with one of the ICR’s lung cancer experts, Dr Astero Klampatsa, to find out more.

When Lynn Lucas’ son Chris died of a rare soft tissue cancer, her life was changed forever. But as a result of this devastating loss, she and her husband channelled their anger and grief into action – setting up a charitable trust that would go on to become one of our long-standing family charity partners, contributing to vital research progress that is bringing hope to others with the same diagnosis. Lynn explains why they’ve dedicated their lives to raising money for our scientists.

Yvonne Diaz, 55, was diagnosed with stage 4 ALK-positive lung cancer in August 2021. She works in Communications and lives in Holland Park, London with her husband and twin sons, aged 17.

Tony McHale, a screenwriter, was invited to take part in the IMPACT study in 2012, an international clinical trial offering regular screening for men at increased risk of prostate cancer. Around 18 months later, he was diagnosed with the disease at the age of 61. After undergoing intense radiotherapy treatment, he has remained cancer-free ever since.

Michael Parry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 59. Fortunately, his disease was detected early – and after surgery and chemotherapy, he is now planning for the years ahead with his family. Here he tells his story and explains why more research into hard-to-treat cancers is so vital.

This June world-leading cancer researchers from around the globe are getting ready to present and discuss the latest advances in the oncology at the 2024 ASCO Annual meeting in Chicago. Ahead of the meeting, we look at some of the ICR’s research being presented this year.

Completing a marathon is no easy feat – but this year two of our #TeamICR runners who took on the London Marathon had been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in the past five years. They tell us what cancer research means to them.

It's an exciting time for research into high-risk neuroblastoma. Over the past year, multiple trials testing new treatments showed promising results, and in 2024, new trials are expected to open to further advance this research. We look at some of the latest advances and how they could change the outlook for children with neuroblastoma.

As a fit and healthy former firefighter, Harry Hall didn’t think there was anything to worry about when he developed a lump in his neck. But after his wife persuaded him to go to the doctors, tests diagnosed Harry with tongue cancer. Here, Harry explains why he wants to raise funds to support our vital research by running the London Marathon.