MCRC Director’s Update July 2024
A look back on July with Professor Robert Bristow
A very warm hello to all of you at the MCRC! I hope that you have had a wonderful July and that those of you who have taken some much-deserved annual leave enjoyed your break.
I am so pleased to be updating you on some of the many activities across the MCRC over this last month.
You can watch my update on video where I discuss:
The Paterson Building’s official opening ceremony
Seven years on from the devastating fire, the Paterson Building celebrated its official opening. This momentous ceremony boasted visits by Nobel Prize winner Professor Sir Paul Nurse and Lord Lieutenant Dianne Hawkins as the King’s representative.
This event reflected on the history of the Paterson and was marked by speakers by Roger Spencer from The Christie, Ian Foulkes from Cancer Research UK and Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell from The University of Manchester as well as Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Adele Adams who was treated at The Christie for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
We are so excited that the building is now officially open and will drive our science towards better patient outcomes for all people living with and beyond cancer.
Professor Nic Jones’ retirement
As of July 2024, the renowned Professor Nic Jones, inaugural director at the MCRC until I took over in 2017 and the Director of Strategic Initiatives will be taking a step back from his responsibilities at the MCRC and the CRUK MI. Nic has been a fantastic mentor and friend to me over the time I have been here in Manchester and has driven the scientific programming here at the MCRC for close to 11 years.
Even though Nic is retiring, he will still be with us to help drive governance and strategy as an Emeritus Professor. We will continue to use the sage advice of Nic to build our programmes as we go forward.
Read about Nic’s prestigious scientific career in our MCRC blog.
‘I’m Still Me’ art instillation
This month has seen the arrival of a fantastic art exhibition, namely ‘I’m Still Me’. This exhibition, hosted in the Oglesby Cancer Research Building main foyer features prints of paintings of patients who wear facial prostheses resulting from treatment for head and neck cancer. These paintings are accompanied by poignant stories of living with a visible face difference and showcases the journey of cancer rehabilitation.
It was wonderful to see this collaboration between our MCRC team and University of Leeds, and I’ve been thrilled about the amount of discussion that this has generated between patients and our clinicians and researchers.
My trip to Germany for the NCT Scientific Advisory Board
This month I also travelled to the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg for the German Cancer Centre Scientific Advisory Board. It was fantastic to see the level of science across Germany that is driving new technology and targeted clinical approaches. I was thoroughly impressed by the development of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) at a national level.
We will be hosting DKFZ here in Manchester in the coming months to look at formal collaborations between our two centres.
Peter Hoskin’s Marie Curie Medal
I am pleased to announce that the wonderful Professor Peter Hoskin was presented with the ESMO Marie Curie medal at this year’s World Congress of Brachytherapy. This is in recognition of his major contributions to brachytherapy throughout his prestigious career. A major congratulations and thanks to Peter for all that you have done and continue to do.
I will now be taking a break in the Director’s updates over summer. Tune in at the end of September for another round up of the month’s activities for the MCRC.
Robert Bristow
Director of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre
Director of the Cancer Research UK Manchester Centre
Show notes
- Read our blog covering The Paterson Building official opening
- Read our blog about the ‘I’m Still Me’: Art Exhibition
- Discover more about The Marie Curie Medal
