The Bowelbabe Vaccine and advancing early detection

Deborah’s family are continuing her remarkable legacy by selecting the next round of research projects that will help support even more people affected by cancer.

One of the newly backed initiatives is the Bowelbabe Vaccine project developed by researchers from Cardiff University. The team are aiming to develop a bowel cancer vaccine that could be used to treat as many people with the disease as possible. The approach uses specific proteins found on bowel cancer cells, known as antigens, to train the immune system to recognise and attack them.

At the moment, bowel cancer vaccines in clinical trials are individually tailored for each person, which is time‑consuming and expensive. The team behind the Bowelbabe Vaccine hopes to change that by creating a more accessible option. If successful, researchers believe they could use the same approach to prevent bowel cancer in people at high risk and pave the way for a new generation of vaccines targeting other cancer types, potentially saving many more lives.

“Deborah would be absolutely over the moon if she were here today to see this. I don’t think any of us ever imagined reaching the £20m milestone when she first set up the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK almost four years ago,” said Heather James, Deborah’s mother.

“She was so passionate about supporting research that would help give more people affected by cancer more time with their loved ones. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of everyone who has donated, walked, ran or even danced for Deborah, we’ve been able to come together once again as a family to choose another round of projects to support. I can almost feel her excitement in the room each time we do.”

The second project focuses on improving early detection of bowel cancer. Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Glasgow are working to develop more accurate tests that can predict a person’s risk of developing new bowel growths, known as polyps, after existing polyps have been removed during a colonoscopy. These polyps can sometimes progress into cancer if not caught early.

The team aims to identify more reliable biological patterns, or biomarkers, that could be detected using tools already available within the NHS to help prevent more bowel cancers or detect them earlier.

Taking on the challenge 

The Bowelbabe Fund also announced in March that it will support the Cancer Grand Challenges team REWIRE‑CAN. This international group of scientists is taking on the urgent problem of advanced bowel cancers that no longer respond to standard treatments.

REWIRE‑CAN is taking an unconventional approach. The team aims to push cancer cells into overdrive so they burn out and self-destruct. They will also be looking for ways to reprogramme treatment‑resistant tumours so they respond to therapy again. Their work could open up entirely new strategies for tackling one of the most difficult aspects of bowel cancer.

“Thanks to research, more than half of people diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK will survive the disease,” said Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK. “But there is still much more to do. These new projects are another example of the hope and progress being fuelled by research in Dame Deborah’s name.”

To help the Bowelbabe Fund continue its mission, donate directly at Bowelbabefund.org.