UCL Cancer Institute's breakthrough research celebrated at 10 year event

Guests joined UCL President and Provost, Professor Michael Arthur, UCL Cancer Institute Director, Professor Tariq Enver, and other Institute researchers for an evening that showcased a snapshot of the very latest developments in cancer research.  

Special mention was also made to the founding partners of the UCL Cancer Institute.

The charity, Children with Cancer UK, helped establish the Paul O'Gorman building which houses the Institute. Children with Cancer UK was set up by Eddie and Marion O'Gorman in memory of their son Paul who died of leukaemia aged 14 and their daughter Jean who passed away from cancer nine months later.

Alongside a number of other charitable partners, Children with Cancer UK continue to fund research into childhood leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia at UCL.

Commenting on the Institute's decade of achievements, Professor Enver, said: "The generous donation and support provided by Children with Cancer UK, along with our other founding partners, including The Wolfson Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies, has enabled us to develop into one of the powerhouses of cancer research.

"In the last decade our talented and passionate researchers have made some seminal breakthroughs in both cancer diagnosis and treatment, helping change clinical practice and impacting the lives of patients across the world.

"In the next 10 years we have the ambition to transform the way we think about cancer and build on our groundbreaking research into biotherapies and personalised treatments."

An early decision to focus on biotherapies as the future of cancer treatment has driven enormous successes in the progression of biotherapies at the Institute. 

When combined with traditional therapies, the new class of treatments - including immune cell therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, antibodies and therapeutic vaccines - now provide some of the most targeted and precise treatment options we have ever seen. 

Treatments that - in the next ten years - will be more effective and less toxic, and will result in more patients living longer with better quality of life.

More than the sum of its parts

To achieve more precise and effective treatments, the Institute has harnessed expertise across UCL's faculties such as engineering, computer science, maths and physics. 

The UCL Cancer Institute also plays a critical role in the unique coalition of world-renowned organisations that form a greater London Cancer Campus, including University College London Hospitals (UCLH), Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), the Francis Crick Institute and more.

These collaborative partnerships place UCL in a strong position to make major contributions to the UK's cancer patients and to the worldwide community.

It's All Academic

Cancer is a priority project for UCL's It's All Academic Campaign. UCL's ideas and discoveries are shaping the future, improving lives and having a massive impact on London and the wider world. The Campaign is UCL's biggest ever philanthropic endeavour, aiming to raise £600 million for world-impacting research. 

UCL Cancer Institute held its 10 year anniversary event at the Royal Society on Wednesday October 10, 2018. 

Links

• UCL Cancer Institute
• Children with Cancer UK
• UCL It's All Academic Campaign

Media contact

Henry Killworth

Tel: +44 207 679 5296

E: h.killworth [at] ucl.ac.uk