Our project grants
By making grants we are currently supporting:
Research Scientist
UCARE's largest grants have supported the work of Dr Val Macaulay and her research team, who are developing clinical trials for an exciting new anti-cancer treatment. We have made grants to this project in 2008-2009; 2009-2010 and for a further year 2010-2011.
Dr Macaulay (Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology) leads a research team at the internationally renowned Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. The team studies the function of a cellular protein which is vital to the survival of cancer cells in the prostate, bladder and kidney.
Dr Macaulay and the team are now testing the potential therapeutic benefits of inhibiting the “cancer creating” function of this protein. In response to this and other research findings some major pharmaceutical companies have created drugs to do just this and Dr Macaulay wants to begin clinical trials in Oxford to test the efficacy of these drugs. This research project is designed to discover a treatment for prostate, kidney and bladder cancers that have not responded to traditional surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.
“I am delighted to have joined Dr Macaulay's team, so that we can move forward with the development of a new treatment for patients with urological cancers. I am very grateful for the generous donations that have funded this job.” Olga Perestenko, October 2008
“Thanks to the generosity of UCARE supporters, Olga has been running my research lab for the past 2 years, with a commitment from the UCARE Trustees to fund a third year as well, from October 2010. Olga has a dual role, as Research Scientist and Laboratory Manager. She is contributing to three vital areas of work, all focused on a new cancer treatment that blocks a growth-promoting protein called IGFR. Firstly, Olga is developing tests that we can use to monitor new IGFR-blocking drugs, which we are now evaluating in cancer patients. Secondly, Olga has developed a way of taking a small piece of kidney cancer from a kidney removed at operation, and growing the kidney cancer cells in the lab. This will help us to understand what makes some cancers sensitive or resistant to new cancer drugs. Thirdly, in her role as Lab Manager, Olga has organised the lab and made searchable inventories of all our stocks, so improving the efficiency of everyone in my group. I am so grateful for this support from UCARE, which is making a huge difference to our progress in improving treatment options for patients with urological cancers.” Dr Val Macaulay, August 2010
Research Nurse
In 2009, UCARE made a grant to support a bio-bank research nurse.
Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team the nurse will promote trials and facilitate high quality research. The nurse will provide practical information and vital support, and in the same setting, will assist research doctors with recruitment and monitoring of patients and data collection. Also, the nurse will facilitate the collection of tissue samples for laboratory research [bio-banking] which allows for a wide range of analyses to give a better understanding of the genetic and molecular changes involved in the progression of cancer and can also be used for assessing the effectiveness of novel drugs and therapeutics.
The role of the specialist cancer research nurse is growing in importance and stature in hospitals throughout the UK as they are at the forefront of cancer care in a role that combines the challenging mix of patient contact and clinical research activities. This post is vital to the advance of Urology research trials in Oxford and we will be supporting this for a further year (2010-2011).
Grants for research equipment and consumables
UCARE has supported researchers by providing grants for the equipment and consumables vital to their research.
2010: A grant supporting Mr Chris Blick’s project on the biology of hypoxia and role of microRNAs in urological cancers by funding a piece of equipment which would dramatically improve the throughput and analysis of samples.
“The arrival of this new equipment funded by UCARE is a huge boost to our research capabilities and since the arrival of the machine we have been able to dramatically improve our throughput. It will no doubt be a great asset to our work towards the treatment of urological cancers.” Chris Blick
2010: A grant supporting Mr Jeremy Crew for a bladder cancer project. In the UK, 11,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed per year; it is the fourth most common non-dermatological malignancy in males, and the tenth most common in Females. A UCARE grant supports the equipment vital to the HYMN study which involves giving patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer mitomycin into their bladder with Hyperthermia assistance.
2008 & 2009: Grants to Mr Rob McCormick for studies in tumour markers for renal cancers:
“The efforts of the scientific community have made possible the extensive range of treatments available in modern medicine. Some cancers, for example testicular cancers, have a cure rate in excess of 90%, through the use of surgical, drug and radiotherapy treatments. Other cancers remain harder to treat, however. Kidney cancer is an example of a disease which often presents at an advanced stage, meaning that curative surgery is no longer an option. Our increased understanding of the molecular biology of the disease is starting to produce treatments targeted to the disease processes involved. This has resulted in some success, but we have a long way to go before treatments for this disease can offer a good chance of cure.
Much of the research in cancer is generated by charitable organisations such as UCARE. This charity has funded some of my work during my DPhil, resulting in publication of novel findings. Recently, it has also helped fund an important piece of equipment which has greatly expanded the scope of our gene profiling facilities. I owe a personal debt of gratitude to UCARE - I hope that in days to come, so might patients benefiting from improved medical treatments as a result of this research.”
Mr Rob McCormick, August 2010
Supporting new technology
UCARE also supports the Oxford Urology Department which has been developing the use of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) as a treatment for kidney cancers and related conditions. The team collaborates closely with Professor Gail ter Haar, one of the leading HIFU physicians in the world, who has been awarded “The Health Care Scientist of the Year” award for 2007.
Image guided, non-invasive methods for treating tumours is felt to be highly desirable and seen as the way forward in the next few years. One of UCARE's aims is to promote innovative ways of treating cancer. The Oxford Urology Department is developing the use of HIFU as a treatment for kidney cancers and related conditions. UCARE has provided a grant to enable the HIFU Research Unit to, support research staff, purchase research equipment and improve its facilities. UCARE is happy to have supported this project with grants in 2008-2009; 2009-2010 and for a further year 2010-2011
HIFU is a great example of cutting edge technology which has huge potential for the future. Mr David Cranston, Consultant Urologist, talks about and demonstrates this innovative cancer treatment.
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- Play 9 minute video clip (Opens in new window)
Supporting patients
Cancer Nurse Specialists provide essential support for patients
UCARE is committed to supporting patients by providing information about urological cancers. One of our grants has been used to help set up TV Nuts, an interactive, web-based support forum for men with testicular cancer.
Research conducted by Gemma Crane, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Churchill Hospital, showed that patients with testicular cancer need more information and support but that young men prefer to use the internet for such help.
“TV Nuts will enable patients to form contacts with people in a similar situation to themselves and use their experiences in a positive way to help each other.”
Gemma Crane
More information about testicular cancer and TV Nuts
Education
UCARE has made several educational bursaries to permit attendance at conferences and courses specific to urological cancers, and to allow the presentation of abstracts.
We have also supported the production of educational and awareness leaflets to provide support for patients and their families.
