Research

AICR finances fundamental scientific research into the causes of cancer. We are currently supporting the work of more than 212 scientists in 24 countries. We are funding in excess of 214 projects in over 108 of the world's top scientific establishments.

.......if there is no investment in research today, tomorrow's cancer sufferers will be condemned to today's treatments.

Norman Barrett, Chief Executive, AICR.

Each of the projects we are funding is examining a crucial aspect of cancer, its processes and causes. Here is a flavour of some of the work currently being carried out.

• Dr Hanudatta Atreya

  IGF-1 and IGF-2 are natural growth factors in the blood which stimulate the multiplication of cancer cells.  However, our blood also contains IGFBP proteins which bind the IGFs and prevent them from stimulating cancer cells.  With support from AICR, Dr Hanudatta Atreya of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore is studying the way that these molecules bind, to find out if the IGFBPs can be adapted to bind tighter and be developed as a new method of cancer treatment.

• Professor Guido Kroemer

  At the Gustave Roussy Institute in Paris, AICR is supporting the research of Professor Guido Kroemer, who is looking for ways to help our immune system kill of any cancer cells left after chemotherapy treatment.   Even after several rounds of chemotherapy, there will still be a few cancer cells left alive and it only takes one cell to start multiplying again for the cancer to recur.  The immune system can kill off the remaining cancer cells, although it only does this some of time.  Professor Kroemer is investigating how the immune system identifies these remaining cancer cells and attacks them, with the objective of designing ways to stimulate this effect and prevent the recurrence of cancer after chemotherapy treatment.

• Professor Micheala Aldred

  Childhood cancer of the kidney, called Wilm’s tumour, affects children under the age of 5 and is often caused by inherited damage to genes.  Identifying the genes involved is the starting point for understanding why these tumours develop and the hunt for ways to treat or prevent them.  At the Lerner Research Institute in Cleveland, USA, AICR is supporting research in the laboratory of Professor Micheala Aldred, who is close to identifying a new genetic cause of Wilm’s tumour.

• Dr James Ross

  At the University of Edinburgh, Dr James Ross is studying the role of PIF in prostate cancer.  PIF is produced by many tumours and it causes the patient to suffer a serious weight-loss and muscle wasting. However, the Edinburgh team have discovered evidence that that PIF may actually be produced by prostate cancer cells to promote their own survival when they cannot get enough oxygen.  With a grant from AICR they are going to investigate whether this is the real function of PIF and whether blocking its action might be a way of actually treating cancer, by causing the cells to die off.