Cambridge is one of the few places in the world that can harness the kind of innovative thinking that has led to 27 Nobel Prizes in Medicine and 25 in Chemistry — and target it at how we diagnose, manage, and ultimately cure cancer.

We have already made some of the most important and exciting developments in cancer research:

• Discovered the structure of DNA and developed the technology (Next Generation Sequencing) to rapidly sequence the entire human genome
• Pioneered the manufacture and use of monoclonal antibodies, a technology that now underpins routine cancer therapy globally
• Identified numerous genetic abnormalities that drive the development and growth of multiple cancer types
• Demonstrated that breast cancer has ten distinct subtypes, each with different drivers and prognoses
• Invented numerous cancer drugs, including olaparib, a DNA repair inhibitor now regularly used to treat multiple types of cancer in women
• Generated the first proof-of-principle that a simple blood test (liquid biopsy) can detect fragments of circulating tumour DNA, allowing for non-invasive, individualised snapshots of cancer development and recurrence
• Determined the origins for two of the most common types of childhood brain tumours, and are now inventing new treatments
• Spearheaded a revolutionary new technology called a hyperpolarised 13C-MRI, which can reveal a tumour’s response to a drug within 24 to 48 hours of treatment
• Created a low-cost ‘cancer breathalyser’ which will determine whether volatile organic compounds from early lung cancer or other solid tumours can be found in a breath sample

Your donation will support the University’s scientists and clinicians to transform how we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, bringing hope to millions of people around the world, now and in the future.