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Showcasing Innovation in Cancer Research
The heart of this campaign lies in the groundbreaking research that’s happening across the UK. On this page, we’re showcasing videos from the brilliant scientists who are working tirelessly to advance cancer research. These short clips provide a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible work being done in labs across the country, from early-stage discoveries to cutting-edge therapies.Early-stage translational research is often the most difficult to fund, but it’s also where some of the most transformative breakthroughs happen. Proof-of-concept grants give researchers the opportunity to test their innovative ideas and bring them one step closer to becoming life-saving treatments for patients. Every video you watch represents a project that could benefit from this type of funding—projects that have the potential to change lives.why it matters
MEet the innovators
These videos bring to life the inspiring stories of researchers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cancer treatment. You’ll hear directly from the scientists about their work, their motivations, and how proof-of-concept funding helps move their ideas from the lab to the clinic. Whether it’s developing new immunotherapies, creating novel diagnostic tools, or advancing CAR T-cell technology, these projects are at the forefront of the fight against cancer.the power of your support
By taking part in this campaign, you’re directly helping to bridge the funding gap and ensure that promising cancer research gets the support it needs. Your involvement directly impacts the future of cancer treatment, helping to accelerate discoveries that could benefit patients across the UK and beyond.
Principal Group Leader
DNA Recombination and Repair Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Principal Group Leader
DSB Repair Metabolism Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Chief Translation Advisor
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Cancer Research Horizons (CRH)
Founder of Artios Pharma
Postdoctoral Scientist
DNA Recombination and Repair Lab
Stephen C. West Laboratory
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Emine Efendi
PHD Student
College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Brunel University of London (London, UK)
Professor Charles Swanton
Principal Group Leader & Deputy Clinical Director
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Chair in Personalised Medicine
Research Department of Oncology
University College London (UCL)
Chief Investigator of CRUK TRACERx
Founder of Achilles Therapeutics
Cancer Research UK's chief clinician
"The critical gap—the Valley of Death, as we call it—is translation. We have brilliant basic research, and we have brilliant pharmaceutical manufacturing, but it's really important that we raise the funds to take these discoveries and generate the data that will attract further investment from industry and investors."
STEPHEN Mayhew
Chief Business Officer
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Debra Babalola (left) and Shefali Bohra (right)
Co-Founders of dotplot
New Startup of the Year - Cancer Research Horizons
MSc Innovation Design Engineering
Royal College of Art and Imperial College London (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Adam Sateriale Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
PhD Student
Vivian Li Lab
The Francis Crick Institute and University College London (London, UK)
Anaid Benitez
Postdoctoral Translation Scholar
Stephen C. West Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Gerard Evans Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Stuart Rose
Chief Executive at OBN
Rajvee Shah Punatar
Principal Laboratory Research Scientist
Stephen C. West Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (LONDON, UK)
Robert Appleby
Postdoctoral Scientist
Stephen C. West Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
PhD Student
Samra Turajlic Lab
The Francis Crick Institute and University College London (London, UK)
Abhinav Kongari
Postdoctoral Scientist
Maxim Molodtsov Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
PhD Student
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute and UCL (London, UK)
Group Leader
Cancer Dynamics Laboratory
The Francis Crick Institute
Consultant Medical Oncologist
The Royal Marsden
Senior Laboratory Research Scientist
Louise Walport Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Medicinal Chemist
Chemical Biology Group
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
PhD Student
Early Cancer Institute
Alex Frankell Laboratory
University of Cambridge
Predict
detect
prevent
Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, OBE, MACantab, MD, FMedSci, EMBO
Professor of Cancer Prevention, University of Cambridge
Director, Early Cancer Institute
Lead for Cambridge Member Centre of the CRUK Alliance for Cancer Early Detection (ACED)
NIHR Senior Investigator
Lead for Cambridge BRC Devices and Advanced Therapies Theme
Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology, Cambridge University Hospitals
Director of Studies in Medicine & Fellow in Medical Sciences, Trinity College (Cambridge, UK)
Group Leader
Genome Instability Lab
University of Sussex (Brighton, UK)
Co-Founder and COO of Oslr (London, UK)
Mentor for Cancer Tech Accelerator
MRC funded iCASE PhD Student at Barts Cancer Institute (london, UK)
Chris Cox
Translation and Commercial Portfolio Analyst
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Chris Walsh
Postdoctoral Scientist
Ke Yuan Lab
Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute
University of Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
Founder and CEO of Eupnoos
Non-clinical lecturer in Women's Cancer
Institute for Women's Health
University College London (UCL)
Visiting Scientist
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Principal Group Leader
Tumor Cell Biology Lab
Assistant Research Director
The Francis Crick Institute (london, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Vivian Li Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Maria Zagorulya
EMBO Postdoctoral Scientist
Charles Swanton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
"I am someone who is now alive because of science and medication. I was told I was going to die, and I've been on three drug trials, and five years later, I'm still here... It's been a hard and heavy road, but I'm still here."
Karina
Karina Longman and William Townsend
Karina is a remarkable human, cancer survivor, amazing mother, and the definition of resilience.
William is a haematologist at UCLH and Karina's doctor, leading the charge in early-phase clinical trials to bring innovative therapies from the lab to patients.
University College London Hospital (London, UK)
Project Research Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
PhD Student
Barts Cancer Institute - Queen Mary University of London, Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College, and The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology 2019
Clinical Director
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Nuffield Department of Medicine
University of Oxford (Oxford, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Stephen C. West Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Translation Research Scientist
Stephen C. West Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
PhD Student
Charles Swanton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute and UCL (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Wellcome Trust PhD Researcher
Maxim Molodtsov Lab
The Francis Crick Institute and UCL (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Centre for Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine
King's College London
Postdoctoral Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Suzana Panfilov
PHD Student
College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
Brunel University of London (London, UK)
Eric Chih-Chao Liang
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Stephen C. West Laboratory
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Sarah Darling
Postdoctoral Scientist
Stephen C. West Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Co-Founder and CEO of Opto.bio
Michael-Bogdan Margineanu
Postdoctoral Scientist
Cancer Neuroscience Laboratory
Leanne Li Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London)
Venkata Nishita Mohan Parnandi
Postdoctoral Fellow
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Postdoctoral Scientist
Simon Boulton Lab
The Francis Crick Institute (London, UK)
Voices of Discovery
Institutions Behind the Voices Showcased Above
