CANCER RESEARCH UK OXFORD CENTRE

ACCELERATING THE PROGRESS OF CANCER RESEARCH IN OXFORD

The University of Oxford has a proud history of scientific discovery and academic excellence as one of the first universities in the world. It currently produces the largest volume of world ranking research in the UK and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has funded cutting-edge research in Oxford for over 70 years. From understanding the impact of smoking on health, the link between HRT and breast cancer, and evidence on the link between our diet and cancer, our researchers in Oxford have played a pivotal role ultimately leading to more people surviving cancer. It is a daunting fact that one in two people born after 1960 in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives. In Oxfordshire alone 9 people are diagnosed with cancer every day. As these numbers rise, so too does the urgency for vital research to save more lives and realise Cancer Research UK’s ambition of 3 in 4 people surviving their cancer within 20 years. The need to find new cures and kinder treatments has never been greater.

Today the Cancer Research UK Oxford Centre is an internationally renowned centre of excellence which brings together advanced laboratory

research with medical expertise. It creates the best possible environment to tackle the complexities of cancer from the molecular level all the way to treatments which have profound benefit for people in Oxford, the rest of the UK and the world. The Centre spans the entire City of Oxford bringing together preeminant specialists from more than 25

university academic departments, such as Chemistry, Engineering, Earth Science and Biochemistry; research institutes, such as the Institute of Radiation Oncology and the Target Discovery Institute; hospital sites (Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust) and trials units such as the leading Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit (EPCTU).

This vibrant community and unique mix of researchers is setting the pace for national and

international progress. Our work is leading to a better understanding and treatment of a variety of cancers, including some of the most difficult to treat forms, such as brain, pancreatic and oesophageal. We want to do more to accelerate the pace of research by enabling our researchers to fulfil their potential with world-leading technology and equipment.

OXFORD IS LEADING THE GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

To have a transformational impact in beating cancer we must use new technologies and discoveries in order to personalise cancer medicine. At the CRUK Oxford Centre we are pioneering a new approach in ‘precision medicine’. This will help to save more lives by tailoring treatments to the specific characteristics of each patient’s cancer. It will speed up the development of new treatments and get the right treatment to the right person at the right time.

The Centre is led by Professor Gillies McKenna, a global expert in radiotherapy, who was recruited

from the US to Oxford to establish the now internationally renowned Cancer Research UK/MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology. Radiotherapy plays a significant role in curing cancer, with 4 in 10 UK survivors receiving radiotherapy as part of their treatment.

In a unique approach, we will focus precision medicine on people with early stage cancer. This will increase the chance of success of the treatments. No other international cancer centre takes this all-encompassing approach to patients with early stage disease.

TRANSFORMING CANCER TREATMENTS

The network of Oxford researchers tackling cancer across Oxford University departments

The Cancer Research UK Oxford Centre is guiding the future of cancer research and care through:

• Strengthening the links between the lab and

the clinic to enable discoveries to be turned

into patient benefits faster

• Providing first-class training to the next

generation of scientists and clinicians

• Sparking new cross-disciplinary

collaborations and research projects which

have driven novel discoveries and innovations

The ability to have a comprehensive approach to cancer research is what brought me to Oxford and the prospect of our work saving lives is what keeps me here.

Professor Gillies McKenna, Director of CRUK Oxford Centre

You can help us accelerate the rate of discovery by enabling more talented researchers to come and be part of the CRUK Oxford Centre.

You can arm our researchers with the world’s leading technology and equipment.

Together we will change the way in which cancer is treated and bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

We are seeking your support to accelerate the advances of our transformational research through providing the latest technology and equipment and enabling us to bring talented researchers to Oxford. These researchers will become part of something special in Oxford. They will benefit from working with scientists with diverse research interests and building on the achievements already made in Oxford. They will contribute to developing more effective and personalised treatments for people with cancer.

HELP US TO DEVELOP NEW CURES FOR PEOPLE WITH CANCER

We know that oncologists are familiar with the challenges their patients face on a daily basis. That’s why clinicians can be ideally placed to spot opportunities to improve treatments and have ideas which could save thousands of lives. However often clinicians don’t have the scientific training to turn these ideas into a reality.

We want to rectify this situation by creating more opportunities to allow the best clinicians to have the time and resources to develop their theories

collaboratively in order to cure more people sooner.

It is vital we have researchers who are not only able to understand cancer from a scientific viewpoint, but who also understand the challenges faced by doctors and patients. These highly talented clinician-scientists are an absolutely critical part of our quest to find new ways of tackling cancer.

The future of radiotherapy research in the UK is strongly dependent on our ability to recruit and train the best scientists

Professor Peter O’Neill,Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology

WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

HELP US TO DEVELOP NEW CURES FOR PEOPLE WITH CANCER

Precision medicine requires careful, meticulous planning. And when you are talking about cutting-edge proton beam therapy, this planning comes in the form of high-tech computer planning systems using complex mathematical modelling run on powerful computers. This doesn’t come cheaply- the highly specific software is extremely expensive as it takes a long time to develop. But, thanks to funding from CRUK, Dr Mike Partridge was able to purchase this equipment to enable him and his team to start planning for the imminent arrival of proton beam therapy in Oxford. They have been busy using the software to model biological changes in tumours in response to therapy. Ultimately this type of modelling will enable doctors to make decisions about individual patient’s therapy -

making it kinder and more effective. Now they have done the extensive background work, when the machine arrives they will be ready to test their models and move towards testing in clinical trials.

This is just one example of equipment that the Centre has secured which allows researchers to increase the speed and volume of research. Some of the equipment that the Centre hopes to install, such as an MRI Linac Accelerator, will be the first in the UK. Others, such as the ‘Cyclotron’, will allow researchers to test new theories with isotopes that they are not currently able to produce in Oxford. Technology is constantly evolving and the most advanced equipment will save researchers time and money in making new discoveries.

WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

The only factors limiting our scientists’ progress in Oxford are the need for further cutting-edge technologies, essential equipment and the best research colleagues. Your support towards the Oxford Centre will play a pivotal role in accelerating the rate of research. Our research in Oxford WILL lead the global fight against cancer.

To find out more please contact Sarah Lloyd: sarah.lloyd@cancer.org.uk

Cancer Research UK Oxford CentreOld Road Campus Research BuildingRoosevelt DriveOxford

OX3 7DQ

OXFORDCENTRE

Registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666) and the Isle of Man (1103).