MCRC Director’s Update – October 2021

Hello everyone,

I hope everyone has had an enjoyable and productive October.

It has been a busy period at the MCRC with the past few months focused on the renewal of the Cancer Research UK Manchester Centre. I am now pleased to say that our renewal has been submitted and defended, and we now await confirmation of the outcome.

Our new Centre sets out our ambitions for the future of cancer research in Manchester and how we will support the translation of basic and discovery science into clinical impact. I look forward to sharing more of this vision with everyone in the coming months.

MCRC Annual Report 2020/2021

I am also excited to share the MCRC Annual Report for 2020/2021 is now available on the MCRC website. These past two years have been unlike any other in living memory as the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of the cancer research pipeline. Despite the challenges faced, we have seen many examples of people coming together to continue lifesaving and world-leading science. Our aim is that our annual report will share some of these stories.

Highlights from the past year spotlighted in our report include:

• Developing a partnership with Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) to share expertise and support new research into oesophageal cancers.
• Changing NICE guidelines with research from Prof. Emma Crosbie and team defining that women diagnosed with womb cancer are now screened for Lynch syndrome
• Developments in our Lung Cancer Town Hall, demonstrating the importance of Team Science
• Updates from the MCRC Strategic Operations Team
• Strategic developments in neuro-oncology, following the award of the Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence and the Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre, and paediatric oncology, following the recent success in three grants from Friends of Rosie (FoR), a children’s cancer charity, and a new CRUK-Stand up to Cancer (SU2C) team grant; altogether worth more than £1.2M

I would encourage everyone to read the report for themselves to discover more about the past year at the MCRC and look forward to the future of cancer research in Manchester.

November events

I have had the honour of being the Scientific Committee Chair for the NCRI Festival being held between the 8^th-12^th November. Along with colleagues from across the UK, we have assembled an interesting and engaging programme for the virtual event.

Registration is still open, and I’d encourage any researcher from across the MCRC partnership, working in the fields of discovery/underpinning research; prevention and early detection; cancer treatment; living with and beyond cancer; and clinical trials to join us in November.

Also taking place next month is the next MCRC workshop being held on 16^th November 2021 13.30-17.00. Led by Dr Amaya Viros from the CRUK Manchester Institute and Dr Agata Rembielak from The Christie, this event focuses on identifying the research priorities in cutaneous SCC.

Registration is open to anyone, and I’d encourage anyone with an interest in skin cancer or melanoma from a laboratory research background or anyone from a dermatologist or healthcare background to look into attending the event.

To close, I hope everyone stays safe and well and I look forward to keeping you up to date about the latest developments in future updates.

Rob