Curestarters like you have funded another 25 international cancer research teams, who are now beginning to explore brand new ideas that could lead to big breakthroughs, and take us closer to a day when no life is cut short by cancer. None of this would be possible without your continued support, so thank you.
I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the Curestarters. Research can often feel like a long and uncertain journey, and knowing that people have chosen to support and trust this work is deeply motivating. Your generosity allows us to ask important questions that simply wouldn’t be possible otherwise!
Taking a worldwide approach to a worldwide challenge
We believe in breakthroughs without borders, because bright new ideas can come from anywhere. By funding research across the globe we can have the greatest potential impact on the future of cancer research - because international collaboration pushes scientific advances further and faster.
This year, we are delighted to have been able to offer funding to researchers in three continents and eleven countries around the world, including Australia, the USA, Switzerland, and the UK.
And while the research happens worldwide, the findings impact lives locally - potentially saving the lives of the people you love by uncovering new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
Exploring new cures for any cancer type
One of the reasons that cancer is so hard to cure is that it is not just one disease. There are more than 200 distinct types - from the ones that you have never heard of, to the ones that we all know too well.
Every cancer brings a unique set of challenges. But because we don't restrict our research to a specific type, our scientists are able to carry out important work that could lead to new cures for particular cancer types, as well as discovering more about the fundamental nature of all cancers.
This year we are supporting new ideas exploring 18 different types of cancer - from more common diseases like breast cancer to rarer and less-known diseases including oesophagogastric cancer.
With your continued support, we can ensure that we don't stop funding important research like this until all cancers have cures.
A united effort to start more new cures
Our vision of seeing a day when no life is cut short by cancer is shared by many other organisations around the world. We team up with them wherever we can so that your support goes further and funds more research.
This year we're working with the Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer in Spain to support an incredible pancreatic cancer project. Professor Francisco X Real is looking into why people with asthma have lower rates of pancreatic cancer. If they can understand the link between chronic asthma and reduced cancer risk, they could apply this understanding to developing new strategies which could prevent this deadly type of cancer.
And together with the Dutch Cancer Society KWF we are supporting Dr Saskia Suijkerbuijk to explore a potential new cure for bowel cancer. Many cancer treatments work by targeting and weakening cancer cells but Dr Suijkerbuijk’s bold idea is to flip this idea and develop a treatment that works by strengthening healthy cells.
We are so excited to see what all of our new Curestarter researchers discover, and to share their lifesaving breakthroughs with you. If you'd like to hear more about what we uncover, you can sign up to our newsletter here. We exist to reach a day where nobody has to say goodbye to a loved one too soon because of cancer. But we simply wouldn't be able to do it alone. Thank you for making news like this possible.
Join our united effort to stop cancer.
There are so many different ways to support our search for new cures. Will you join the 90,000+ Curestarters who are already helping us get closer to a day when no life is cut short by cancer?