Cancer Research UK makes new appointment to its governing council

CANCER RESEARCH UK today announced the appointment of Professor Jonathan Knowles to its Council of Trustees with effect from March 1. He will also join the charity’s Council Research Strategy Committee.

Professor Knowles was previously head of group research and a member of the executive committee at Roche until 2009. He was also a member of the boards of Genentech in the USA and Chugai Pharmaceuticals in Japan. He was recently appointed Professor of Translational Medicine at EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) in Switzerland, holds a Distinguished Professorship in Personalised Health Care at FIMM (Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine) at the University of Helsinki and has been appointed to a visiting chair at Oxford University.

In 2010 he joined the Board of Caris Life Sciences™ in the USA, an international molecular diagnostics company where he is Vice Chairman.

Michael Pragnell, Chairman of Cancer Research UK, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Jonathan Knowles as a Trustee of Cancer Research UK. He brings extensive international experience that will be of immense value to the charity.

“The potential to personalise treatments for cancer patients is on the horizon and Jonathan Knowles’ knowledge and expertise will help steer Cancer Research UK in playing its part in this new era of diagnosis and treatment.”

Last financial year the charity spent over £330m on scientific research, accounting for over half of all UK cancer research. This was entirely funded through the efforts of a dedicated supporter base – 50,000 volunteers, one million regular givers, 750,000 women taking part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, and the people who visit the charity’s 600 shops or leave the charity a legacy.

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