A legacy written in DNA

Bequeathing his body to the PEACE study, Edward Speed is one of many helping to reveal the hidden impact of cancer treatment both before and after death – including how DNA in healthy tissue might change.

Edward Speed’s connection to the Francis Crick Institute, which was established through the collaboration of six founding partners including Cancer Research UK, began long before his cancer diagnosis. As part of the original effort to build the institute, he was a member of the board that successfully raised £100 million, playing a quiet but pivotal role in connecting philanthropists to a bold scientific vision.

When Edward was told he had lymphoma in 2018, the world of science he had supported became the world he relied on. Following years of intensive treatment – periods of remission punctuated by relapse – he died in November 2025 at the age of 68, surrounded by his family.

Edward was part of the board that helped secure more than £100 million in philanthropic funding to build the Crick and remained an enthusiastic supporter of its science throughout his life. Credit: Simon Way

“He’d benefited so much from advances in science and felt strongly that he had a duty to give back,” says his wife, Debbie Speed. This sense of responsibility guided not only his philanthropy, but also one of the most profound decisions he would make. When treatment options were exhausted, Edward chose to donate his body to the PEACE study – a Cancer Research UK-funded programme that collects tissue samples from terminally ill people, both before and after their death. This provides researchers with a rare opportunity to study not only people’s tumours but also the wider biological imprint of cancer across the body.

“The only way we can fully understand the impact of cancer across a lifetime, particularly in the later stages when treatments often stop working, is by analysing tumour samples after people have died,” says Mariam Jamal-Hanjani, chief investigator on the study and an Associate Researcher at the Crick.

A recent analysis of data from 22 participants in PEACE has now revealed unexpected ‘mutational fingerprints’ in healthy organs of people with advanced cancer, a discovery that is advancing our understanding of how cancer and its treatments affect the body.

By reading the DNA sequences in these healthy tissue samples, Crick postdoctoral research scientist Oriol Pich identified previously unseen patterns of mutations across multiple organs. He and the team then matched these genetic readouts to clinical data from individuals, including details of their treatments and lifestyle factors such as whether they smoked.

“We expected to see many mutations from risk factors like drinking alcohol and smoking in samples from the liver and lungs,” describes Oriol. “But our analysis also showed that some types of cancer treatment produce bursts of mutations in other healthy tissues and organs.”

Surprisingly, they found genetic changes associated with immunotherapy – a treatment not thought to directly damage DNA. The researchers believe this may be explained by the way immunotherapy places selective pressure on cells, allowing certain mutated populations to grow.

The team also found higher-than-expected levels of mutations in organs such as the spleen, raising new questions about how different parts of the body respond to cancer and its treatment.

While not all these mutations would have led to future cancers, the findings highlight the broader impact of cancer treatment on the body, and underline the need for therapies that are more targeted and less harmful to healthy cells.

DNA — Credit: Shutterstock/Billion Photos

The advanced DNA sequencing method used in this study was sensitive enough to detect very rare genetic changes, but it could not identify which specific cell types those mutations came from. The team is now exploring whether some types of cells accumulate mutations faster than others in different tissues and what that means for the tissue and the person.

Understanding the impact of newer cancer treatments

Edward’s donation forms part of a growing volume of research that is reshaping scientific understanding of cancer. Chris Bailey, an Academic Clinical Lecturer in Haematology at University College London Hospitals and cancer researcher at the Crick, first encountered Edward as an enthusiastic visitor to the Crick, keen to hear about cancer research, and later they met in a clinical setting as part of the study. “The generosity of participants in PEACE is allowing us to ask questions that we previously couldn’t consider,” he says. “It’s a huge endeavour with many moving parts that require close collaboration and meticulous organization – but the contribution it’s making to our ability to carry out innovative cancer research is phenomenal.”

In lymphoma, newer treatments such as CAR-T therapy and bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTE) have changed what is possible, but they still do not work for everyone. By connecting tissue samples with a person’s treatment history, PEACE can help researchers ask whether treatment resistance begins in the tumour itself, in the interacting immune microenvironment, or in the way the relationship between them changes under pressure from treatment. Chris adds, “Ultimately, this is the kind of study that lets us get to the heart of why treatments fail for some people. With the particular type of cancer and therapies that Edward had, his donation alone holds so many insights into the effects of these treatments on the body as a whole.”

Edward and Debbie with their three children. A loving and supportive family, they shared a strong sense of purpose and a deep commitment to caring for one another and those around them. Credit: Debbie Speed

Edward’s family take pride in his decision, seeing it as a continuation of the values he lived by. “He would always give his time for others,” says Debbie. “His experience strengthened his belief that fundamental research is what makes modern cancer treatment possible. Contributing to the PEACE study at the Crick felt like a natural conclusion for him – he’s come full circle.”

I am in awe of people like Edward who have taken part in the PEACE study. Faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis, they have shown huge courage by deciding to help science after their death, to benefit future generations of patients.

- Mariam Jamal-Hanjani, chief investigator of the PEACE study

Edward (right) remained closely connected to the Crick's mission, visiting the institute to meet scientists such as Chris Bailey (left) and hear about the progress of their research. Credit: Edward Speed

Reflecting on Edward’s approach to life, Debbie says, “As a young man, he was aware of the devastating impact of cancer – several close relatives, including his father, had died from the disease. To some extent, that experience shaped him.” She adds, “He was quietly understated and valued human connection. His combination of warmth and integrity brought people together.”

Throughout his career, those characteristics also defined him as a colleague – mentoring others and supporting those around him. That instinct to give, whether through time or resources, was an important part of who he was.

For Edward, choosing to take part in the PEACE study was both a practical and meaningful decision. Debbie adds, “I think knowing that his body could be of real use to cancer research and the development of kinder treatments was a comfort, not just for him but also for me and our three children.”