Anonymous £20m donation to cancer research (From Daily Echo)
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Anonymous £20m donation to cancer research, including at University of Southampton
10:37am Wednesday 18th July 2012 in News
By Jon Reeve, Education Reporter
Cancer research work being carried out at the University of Southampton
A HUGE £20m anonymous donation is to help ground-breaking Hampshire scientists carry out pioneering research into new ways of beating cancer.
Half of the cash is going to the University of Southampton to help build a cancer immunology centre, which is due to open in 2015.
The other £10m has been given to Cancer Research UK to help it construct the Francis Crick Institute for medical research, a £100m facility in London which will have links with the Southampton centre.
The research aims to harness the same cells within the body’s immune system that normally fight infections like flu or measles.
Scientists at the university believe these “killer” cells can be taught to control and shrink cancerous tumours, and provide long-lasting protection from the disease.
Southampton University has developed a global reputation for world-leading advances in cancer immunology, a process involving harnessing the body’s immune system to fight against tumours.
Its new centre will work at ways of turning the Institute’s discoveries into benefits for patients.
The university is also now launching a campaign to raise another £10m to go towards the centre and help further advance its cutting-edge research.
Professor Martin Glennie, Head of Cancer Sciences and Professor of Immunochemistry at the University of Southampton, said: “For many years researchers in Southampton have led the way in this fight.
“We were one of the first Units to isolate antibodies and develop vaccines that trigger immunity against cancers of the prostate, colon and against leukemia.
“We have been particularly successful at taking discoveries from the laboratory and offering them to patients in clinical trials.
“It has been a long wait, but this work is now paying dividends and shows the true potency of the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
"Our antibody discovery programme is already delivering new drugs to the clinic and with the new centre we can accelerate this process.”
Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician who is based at the University of Southampton, said: “These two donations will transform our ability to move new immune treatments for cancer from the laboratories in the Francis Crick Institute to patients, through the new cancer immunology centre in Southampton.
“Harnessing the power of the immune system is one of the most promising areas of new cancer treatment, and this far-sighted initiative will really make a difference to both our scientific understanding and its practical application in the clinic.”
Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton said: “This is an extraordinary act of generosity by a very special individual.
“This donation of £10 million is the largest ever gift received by the University of Southampton and will enable us to create and develop this new centre for cancer immunology research.
“This remarkable gift allows us to build on our expertise and expand the research teams in Southampton to make even greater progress in developing new treatments.
"The next few years will see great progress in immune therapies for cancer with the University of Southampton and the Francis Crick Institute at the very forefront of discovery.”
Comments(19)
Georgem
says...
11:45am Wed 18 Jul 12
derek james wrote:Half of the donation is not going to any charity, it's going directly to the university to build research facilities.
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
elvisimo
says...
11:46am Wed 18 Jul 12
derek james wrote:did wonder how anyone would manage to put the usual negative spin on a possitive story.
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
Well done
MegGriffin
says...
11:47am Wed 18 Jul 12
derek james wrote:What is it with some readers having to find a negative in everything?
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
voiceinthewilderness
says...
12:18pm Wed 18 Jul 12
MegGriffin wrote:QUITE RIGHT
derek james wrote:What is it with some readers having to find a negative in everything?
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
OF COURSE THE MONEY WILL BE USED FOR THE FACILITIES.
SO WHAT YOU CANT FIND CURES IN A TENT!!
St Retford
says...
2:37pm Wed 18 Jul 12
derek james wrote:I realise this isn't the most eloquent thing I've ever posted on here but, seriously, f*** off.
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
voiceinthewilderness
says...
2:48pm Wed 18 Jul 12
St Retford wrote:You have said what I am sure many were thinking.
derek james wrote:I realise this isn't the most eloquent thing I've ever posted on here but, seriously, f*** off.
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
If people who run charities live in big house its probably because they have money. Finally where does he think huge charitable donations come from MOANERS?
I think not
Trustees of Charities are vetted by the Charity Commisioners not the same as BANKERS by the way.
Georgem
says...
2:50pm Wed 18 Jul 12
voiceinthewilderness
says...
2:59pm Wed 18 Jul 12
Georgem wrote:COMES PROBABLY EITHER FROM THE LITTLE RED BOOK
I've no idea where the idea comes from, that anybody involved in charity work, should live in a tin hut, wear coal sacks for clothes, and eat nothing but gruel.
OR
a BOOK THAT SURELY WILL BE PUBLISHED
"youve got more than me"
BY A MORON.
aldermoorboy
says...
4:03pm Wed 18 Jul 12
Poppy22
says...
4:56pm Wed 18 Jul 12
A really generous gift.
I only hope that the people who've made such negative comments above never benefit from such pioneering cancer treatment and that it's given to more deserving people!
ajw1986
says...
6:02pm Wed 18 Jul 12
freemantlegirl2
says...
6:17pm Wed 18 Jul 12
St Retford wrote:Couldn't have put it better myself and sometimes only the f-word is appropriate for soem people lol.
derek james wrote:I realise this isn't the most eloquent thing I've ever posted on here but, seriously, f*** off.
on the face of it a good thing but i wonder how much will be siphoned off to pay for the mansions a lot of these charity chiefs live in?
I would also like to point out to Derek, that the research labs are NOT a Charity, Charities 'support' research lab, as the article is clearly accurate and says it is going directly towards facilities and equipment. Research can't happen out of thin air and many people like the flavells have dedicated their lives to cancer research.
Congrats to the SGH and University and thank you to the donor x
chunky_lover
says...
8:17pm Wed 18 Jul 12
ajw1986 wrote:What research? People continue to consume large quantities of animal proteins even though it causes cancer.
a brilliant donation to help with actual research.
Ridiculous.
Sir Ad E Noid
says...
10:36pm Wed 18 Jul 12
chunky_lover wrote:Another stupid moronic comment on a par with Mr James effort. Well done.
ajw1986 wrote:What research? People continue to consume large quantities of animal proteins even though it causes cancer.
a brilliant donation to help with actual research.
Ridiculous.
derek james
says...
11:01pm Wed 18 Jul 12
Georgem
says...
11:19pm Wed 18 Jul 12
chunky_lover wrote:"Even though it causes cancer"
ajw1986 wrote:What research? People continue to consume large quantities of animal proteins even though it causes cancer.
a brilliant donation to help with actual research.
Ridiculous.
Err. Nothing "causes cancer", because for starters, "cancer" isn't one single ailment. It's a catch-all name for hundreds of ailments that are similar. If you're going to sit there and say "I have identified the one thing that causes all of these illnesses", then you have a lot to answer for, withholding this information from the rest of humanity all this time, letting us spend countless billions on research, letting god knows how many thousands die every year.
andysaints007
says...
12:37am Thu 19 Jul 12
Sir Ad E Noid wrote:Wow chunky_lover just when we think you could be a bigger tw@t than you already are, you go and fool us again!! 100% prize pr*ck
chunky_lover wrote:Another stupid moronic comment on a par with Mr James effort. Well done.
ajw1986 wrote:What research? People continue to consume large quantities of animal proteins even though it causes cancer.
a brilliant donation to help with actual research.
Ridiculous.
downfader
says...
12:26pm Thu 19 Jul 12
chunky_lover wrote:Eating meat does not cause cancer. Are you sure you havent become confused by the studies in the early 2000s that suggest limiting consumption of red meat?
ajw1986 wrote:What research? People continue to consume large quantities of animal proteins even though it causes cancer.
a brilliant donation to help with actual research.
Ridiculous.
All that was suggested was that a) not enough veg was being consumed, b) there was still a tiny risk of cancer (its down to subsets/subgroups, rather than overall risk) and c) the animals would themselves be breaking out in cancers...
derek james says...
11:12am Wed 18 Jul 12