Meeting the challenge

£3m UEA Prostate Cancer Tests fundraising target

Prof Colin Cooper, UEA Chair of Cancer Genetics

Professor Colin Cooper shares the latest on the revolutionary UEA Prostate Cancer Tests.

A little over a year ago, I was discussing the UEA Tiger Test for the first issue of Pioneer in the atrium of The Bob Champion Research and Education Building. With all the progress we have made since, that now feels an awfully long time ago.

In short, we’ve received a number of transformational gifts – and that generosity is already making an astounding difference.

You might recall that the Tiger Test is a new biopsy test we’re developing at the University to identify the most aggressive prostate cancers (nicknamed ‘tigers’) so that men can get the most effective treatments.

I’m delighted to report that the support we’ve received has catapulted the Tiger Test forward. We’ve set up a screening lab and, thanks to the generosity of the Masonic Charitable Foundation and Norfolk Freemasons, purchased an Affymetrix Microarray Scanner. The second phase of the project has begun – clinical trials to prove the Tiger Test in a research setting. We’ve taken a huge step towards our goal of a commercial test.

But that’s not all. We’re also making great strides with another new test for prostate cancer called the Prostate Urine Risk (PUR) Test. It’s a non-invasive urine test to more accurately diagnose aggressive prostate cancers up to five years sooner than current methods and give more certainty to men on active surveillance. Our donors have provided a crucial NanoString nCounter machine, a piece of equipment that can analyse gene patterns in patients.

The support we’ve received from Tiger Test supporters is also helping us progress the PUR Test. We can share equipment and resources between the two projects to simultaneously conduct clinical research for both.

There is still much work to do, and more we must raise, to make our tests ready for use in homes and hospitals worldwide. I sincerely hope that I will be able to inform you of similar strides forward over the coming year.

In the meantime, I’d like to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who is supporting our research at UEA. With your help, we are one step closer to getting our new tests into doctors’ hands, so they can better diagnose men around the world and give them the life-saving treatments they need.

SHARING SUCCESS

From left: David Ellis, Dr Rachel Hurst, Dr Mark Buzza, Prof Colin Cooper and Laura-Jane Ryves in The Bob Champion Research and Education Building’s laboratories.

Three trusts and foundations supporting our Prostate Cancer Tests discuss why they joined us to make a difference.

UEA is fortunate to count on the backing of a wide range of generous donors and philanthropists, including trusts and foundations. Together, they are supporting pioneering change. Here, funders with different aims speak about finding common ground to help revolutionise diagnosis through the UEA Prostate Cancer Tests.

Lucy Wilkinson The Bob Champion Cancer Trust first supported a grant for Professor Cooper in the early 1990s at the Institute of Cancer Research. We have followed him ever since and have been captivated by his enthusiasm, dedication and inspiration. It was our great pleasure to support, and lend our name to, The Bob Champion Research and Education Building, where UEA’s team are based.

Bob Champion recovered from cancer to win the Grand National with Aldaniti in 1981. The Trust was founded in 1983.

Mark Buzza Movember also has a longstanding and productive relationship with UEA. Our support for the work here originated in 2011 as part of the global GAP1 biomarker project which actively fostered collaboration between over 200 clinicians and researchers from 14 countries worldwide. For us, it’s about achieving greater collective impact by helping scientists come together to integrate their research for the greater good, rather than competing for funding.

Movember’s annual fundraising campaign

Caroline Jarrold The John Jarrold Trust is local to Norfolk and also has a rich history of support for UEA. Our company was one of the University’s first contributors and my father, Richard, was a member of its council. We recognise that the research here is world-class.

The renowned Jarrold Department Store in Norwich city centre

LW Our interest in this research work has been an enlightening journey for us and one we are extremely keen to continue. We are excited to play our part in the development of tests to assist in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It’s so important to determine whether a patient will require invasive treatment or not.

MB Tremendous progress has been made in developing the PUR Test which has the potential to spot disease that requires treatment. The results so far have been very promising but, in order to validate the at-home test, it needs to be trialled on a larger group of men. We are delighted to be able to fund the next stage of development, in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK.

CJ The Trust now concentrates its funding towards grants that support the pioneering work going on at UEA. Our trustees recently came to the campus to see the work in the lab and meet Professor Cooper. We’re very excited to watch the research campus developing between UEA and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

LW Our Trust was founded in 1983 by professional jockey Bob Champion, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the height of his career. Ultimately, we work to stop male cancer being killers and help men live longer with their disease. Our support for Professor Cooper’s research at UEA is a major part of that.

MB As part of our overarching strategic priorities, a critical goal of Movember’s is to make sure we invest in research that will help ensure every man diagnosed with prostate cancer has access to simple, non-invasive tests that predict how aggressive his individual cancer is – and whether he’ll need active treatment or not. Professor Cooper’s research has enormous potential to transform the management and treatment of the disease, which is extremely exciting.

CJ I’m proud to continue the legacy of my grandfather, John, who pioneered technical advances in the printing industry. For me, the Tiger Test continues his passion for science and education. It’s inspiring to see the innovative research

The Bob Champion Cancer Trust

Lucy Wilkinson, Executive Director

Movember

Dr Mark Buzza, Global Director of Prostate Cancer Biomedical Research

The John Jarrold Trust

Caroline Jarrold, Secretary and Trustee