Here are our policy highlights from 2015. From flickr https://flic.kr/p/hm6WpY via CC-BY-2.0 Credit: Flickr/CC BY 2.0

It’s been a busy year for us here at Cancer Research UK. We launched a brand new strategy that sets out our vision for the next few years, building on our work in 2014.

So here are just a handful of our biggest achievements from this year, focusing on our groundbreaking research and the key moments in our policy and campaigning work.

None of this would be possible without our amazing supporters. So we want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you, and wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy 2015.

January

Child and nurse

Our LuDO trial is testing a new type of radiotherapy for children with advanced neuroblastoma

February

March

Watch an animation about EBV on YouTube

Watch an animation about EBV on YouTube

April

Watch an animation outlining our new strategy on YoutTube

Watch an animation outlining our new strategy on YouTube

May

  • A protein called Fascin emerged as a potential key player in how pancreatic cancer develops and spreads. The researchers believe their findings could lead to new ways to treat pancreatic cancer in the future.
  • Our scientists discovered a protein that acts as a molecular ‘brake’ and stops potentially cancer-causing DNA damage in cells.
  • Following a crucial vote in the European Parliament in February, new EU rules set game-changing standards for protecting people from tobacco harm.

June

Round melanoma cells (red)

Round melanoma cells (red)

July

August

Radiotherapy cures more patients than cancer drugs

We’re investing in new trials looking at an advanced form of radiotherapy

September

October

Watch a video about the research on YouTube

Follow the chemical ‘breadcrumb trail’ on YouTube

November

December

  • Personal data in research saves lives, yet the value of this data – and patients’ willingness to share it – is getting lost in discussions on the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation. Together with several organisations in Europe and the UK we launched a campaign to highlight the importance of personal data in research and what Europe stands to lose if its use is limited.
  • Our scientists discovered that cancer cells use a particular set of molecular signals to help untangle their DNA before dividing. Identifying these signals offers a potential new weakness that could help kill the cancer cells.
  • And finally, in an innovative approach combining imaging and genetic data, our researchers in Cambridge showed that an aggressive form of ovarian cancer could be driven by the cells having low levels of an important protein called PTEN.

Once again we want to thank each and every one of you for your amazing support. And to stay up to date, you can subscribe to this blog, either via its RSS feed, or by typing your email address into the box in the right hand column.

Aine McCarthy, science communications officer and Catherine Castledine, public affairs manager

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