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Nobel prize winner to help interview top Chinese cancer researchers

by Cancer Research UK | News

24 November 2005

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This post is 19 years old, so some information may be outdated

Cancer Research UK’s Dr Tim Hunt, the Nobel Prize winning scientist, arrives in Beijing today with colleagues from the charity and leading Chinese cancer experts to award up to 10 fellowships to the top young cancer scientists in China.

Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading independent organisation dedicated to cancer research – funding over 3,400 scientists, doctors and nurses based throughout the UK. The charity’s total research spend for last year was £217 million.

The charity has introduced the Cancer Research UK China Fellowships Programme as part of its ongoing mission to help foster the next generation of leaders in cancer research in China.

This competitive scheme will enable outstanding young Chinese postdoctoral researchers to obtain a further three years training at a leading Cancer Research UK institute.

The successful students will be based at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow; Cambridge Research Institute; London Research Institute; and the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester.

Dr Tim Hunt says: “We hope to build strong partnerships between leading cancer researchers in the UK and their counterparts in China. Cancer is a global problem and must be tackled on a global scale – so bringing together some of the most promising researchers in four of the world’s most renowned cancer research centres offers a tremendous opportunity for discovering more about the disease.

“This is a new approach to recruiting postdoctoral fellows coming to the UK. The best universities and institutes across China are excellent. Inevitably, those who reach the top of such a magnificent education system serving a population of 1.3 billion people are outstanding.

“Critical to the long term success of the programme will be the provision of research support for these Fellows on their return to China. Cancer Research UK looks forward to working with the Chinese authorities to organise this.”

Professor Alex Markham, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, says: “Scientific breakthroughs, more often than not, come from putting the best people in the field in one location and giving them the resources to innovate.

“Those selected for these Cancer Research UK China Fellowships will have shown exceptional promise in their early studies into cancer. This programme will allow some very gifted scientists the chance to flourish. Ultimately we expect that their abilities will allow them to translate their research into benefits for cancer patients in China and around the world.”

ENDS

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