Sponsored Editorial

Every year in Kent, around 9,300* people are diagnosed with cancer. Today, two in four people survive their cancer for at least 10 years.

Our ambition is to accelerate progress so that by 2034, three in four people will survive their cancer.

That’s why research into better diagnosis and treatments to improve survival is so vital. Many research projects across the UK, such as at the University of Kent, benefit from the generosity of people leaving a gift to Cancer Research UK in their will.

Dr Nerissa Kirkwood is a researcher who works in a Cancer Research UK funded lab at the University of Kent.

Her work focuses on improving cancer treatments by studying a family of proteins called APOBEC3. Dr Kirkwood explained: “The project I am working on has the potential to create more targeted treatments for people with cancer, so that they can have a better chance of surviving their disease.

"Thanks to research, we know that when APOBEC3 proteins in the body become faulty they can attack our own DNA, leading to the development of cancer and limiting the effectiveness of drug treatments in the future. I am investigating what causes these proteins to become damaged, to determine what can be done to prevent this from happening.

“However, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought challenges for us all and one of the many areas affected has been cancer research.

"I have worked in laboratories for over 20 years and this is the first time I have known a university to shut down access, except to a small group of researchers carrying out vital coronavirus research. We have managed to pick up where we left off and we hope to make up for lost time so that we can get back to making a difference in cancer”.

Dr Kirkwood explained the importance of funding for the laboratory: “Cancer Research UK’s funding is pivotal to my research.

"With its financial support I am able to carry out experiments which will create life-saving treatments for people with cancer. Without this funding I wouldn’t be able to carry out my research.

“On a personal level, I have experienced the loss of loved ones from cancer and understand the strong desire to beat this disease.

"My grandparents left a gift in their will to help fund cancer research as they wanted to play their part in the fight against cancer.

"To think their gift is supporting research now is fantastic.”

Gifts in wills fund over a third of Cancer Research UK’s life-saving research. These vital legacies, together with the commitment of researchers finding new breakthroughs, are so important to one day beating cancer.

To find out more, get your free Gifts in Wills guide here - cruk.org/pledgesoutheast

Together we will beat cancer.

* Based on the average annual number of new cases of all cancers combined excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (ICD10 C00-C97 excl.C44) diagnosed in Kent between 2015 and 2017.