Science Talk

In 1995 researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, uncovered the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2. This discovery helped families to assess their cancer risk through genetic testing, enabling them to be closely monitored or take preventative measures.

We have seen major advances in prostate cancer research, and people with the disease are living longer than ever. However, more needs to be done to harness scientific discoveries and bring innovative drugs to patients. Here we discuss the regulatory landscape and reforms needed to ensure patients can access the most innovative treatments as quickly as possible.

When Alfred Samuels was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in 2012, it felt as if his world had fallen apart overnight. Doctors said surgery wasn’t an option for him because the cancer had spread beyond his prostate, and he started to lose hope. But then he joined a clinical trial and began treatment with abiraterone, a drug discovered and developed by our scientists, which is now extending the lives of thousands of men worldwide. Eleven years later, Alfred explains how he wouldn’t be here today without our research.