Science Talk
With our Science Talk blog, we hope to lift the lid on the black box that is the ICR: to show you inside our labs, to introduce you to a few of the people here who make the discoveries, and to allow them to tell some of the stories behind the science. We try to put our discoveries in a wider scientific context, and give an idea of how our science is actually done. We also give you the view from the ICR of important developments in the wider world of cancer research.
How we’re tackling the underrepresentation of BAME students in our postgraduate research
Professor Bamber, the ICR’s Deputy Dean, sets out how we are promoting diversity and racial equality among our postgraduate students.
Rising to the challenge – the clinical researchers who joined the NHS frontline against COVID-19
Many of our researchers are clinician scientists – focusing much of their time on scientific work, but often continuing to see patients too. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK in March, many put their research to one side in order to be redeployed or seconded to the NHS front line. Here are some of their stories from the start of the year.
NCRI 2020: The UK's largest cancer conference goes virtual
This year, the National Cancer Research Institute annual conference is taking place as a virtual event, enabling researchers and clinicians to stay connected despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As always – although this year from a distance – we will be reporting on innovative ICR science presented at the conference.
Looking back on a distinguished career – Professor David Dearnaley
After an acclaimed career spanning more than 40 years, Professor David Dearnaley, Professor of Uro-Oncology at the ICR and Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, has retired. His work has changed best practice on a global level, impacting the lives of an untold number of cancer patients and advancing cancer research.
Immunotherapy goes viral: ICR research on cancer-killing viruses featured on BBC’s The One Show
Before lockdown, TV presenter and medical doctor, Kevin Fong, visited The Institute of Cancer Research to find out all about our work on viral immunotherapy for BBC’s The One Show. Senior Media Officer, Sarah Wells, explores how our researchers are using viruses against cancer.
Biology Week 2020: Zooming in on DNA repair
Dr Basil Greber recently joined the Division of Structural Biology at The Institute of Cancer Research. To mark Biology Week 2020, Céleste Nilges spoke to him about his work on the structural and molecular mechanisms of DNA repair, and how new technology has revolutionised his field.
How the ICR is tackling race inequality in science
Naa-Anyima Boateng is a Higher Scientific Officer and Chair of the Black, Asian and minority ethnic forum at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. This Black History Month, she gives her personal reflections on race equality in science.
Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month: New trial offers hope for patients with rare hard-to-treat gynaecological cancer
Around 21,000 people are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer in the UK each year. This September - Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month - our Communications Administrator Molly Andrews spoke to Professor Chris Lord and Dr Susana Banerjee about an important new trial in the gynaecological cancer field.
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I think therefore I am – how perception influences sarcoma survivors’ journeys
Delays in cancer diagnosis can have a profound impact on patients, but so too can their perception of the process. New ICR research shows that there is a complex relationship between patient wellbeing and waiting times. Science Communications Officer Joanne Duffy delves in.
The little girl driving change: how Aoife’s legacy will help other children
After Aoife Flanagan died of germ cell cancer at the age of three, her mum, Eilish, set up a charity in her daughter’s name to change the future for other children with cancer.
Supporting our students in these extraordinary times
Our Registrar and Director of Academic Services, Dr Barbara Pittam, discusses how we are supporting our students as they navigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
“We don’t know how much time we’ve got left together” – Sally’s melanoma story
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research have helped discover and develop many targeted treatments that are enabling cancer patients to live longer and with a better quality of life. Sally Steadman-South explains what these research advances have meant for her and her family, and why she needs this work to continue.
Cancer and COVID-19: how coronavirus has delayed vital cancer treatments
Henry French looks at how an Institute of Cancer Research-led study into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with cancer helped to start a national debate.
Can we target cancer’s metabolism by combining new drugs with a fat-free diet?
The ICR’s Dr George Poulogiannis and his team have revealed a metabolic weakness in cancer that could be targeted by combining new drugs with a diet free of omega-6 fats. Our Media Officer Diana Cano Bordajandi explains the research findings and their potential implications.
Men’s Health Week: How our researchers are transforming prostate cancer treatment
Professor Nick James, Chief Investigator of the STAMPEDE trial, joined the ICR in December 2019 and is one of our newest Team Leaders. Diana Cano Bordajandi met him to find out more about his current research and future plans, which will help us answer key questions on how to treat men with prostate cancer.
ASCO 2020: Cancer researchers get together at a distance
At a time when cancer researchers usually descend on Chicago for the biggest cancer conference of the year, Sarah Wells looks ahead at some of the highlights that researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research will be presenting at this year’s virtual edition of the ASCO Annual Meeting.
Cryo-electron microscopy – the coolest tech in the cancer toolkit
Cryo-electron microscopy is an exciting technology that could revolutionise drug design by seeing complex molecules in unprecedented detail. The Institute of Cancer Research has been at the vanguard in applying it to cancer – and now a new collaboration called the London Consortium for Cryo-EM (LonCEM) is using this super-cooled technique to learn more about the mechanisms of life and cancer.
How we’re adapting a novel antibody technology to combat COVID-19
Henry French introduces a new project at the ICR, where cancer researchers are turning their expertise in the creation of high-affinity antibodies to new approaches to COVID-19 testing and treatment.
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month 2020: Immunotherapy, state-of-the-art radiotherapy, olaparib and PSA screening
March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Web Editor Dave Morgan reviews four recent news stories covering different types of prostate cancer research taking place at The Institute of Cancer Research.
Will I see them graduate? One patient’s perspective on life with advanced breast cancer
Maureen is 56 and is living with advanced, incurable breast cancer. Before the outbreak of coronavirus, she wrote a blog post about why she’s making the most of the life she has now. This is a very difficult time for many, but here at the ICR we’re doing everything we can to ensure our life-saving work continues, so that we can give people like Maureen more time to spend with their loved ones.