By supporting us, you are investing in new ideas at the very earliest stage of the research journey. That investment allows scientists around the world to lay the foundations for the development of new and more effective ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer – and ultimately, save lives. But how do we know that what we are doing works?
We are the only UK charity that funds discovery research into any type of cancer, anywhere in the world.
In practical terms, this means that our scientists are seeking to discover something entirely new about the very nature of cancer. They study cancer cells in detail, pulling them apart and finding out how they work. The knowledge gained through this research provides the foundation for all future tests and treatments for cancer.
We track what happens after our projects end, finding out what our researcher does with the findings from the project you funded, and what benefit these results ultimately provided for people with cancer.
We have many amazing examples of how our research has helped start new cures for cancer.
But we can also look at our research through a purely financial lens. We know that every £1 we use to fund a research project will allow the scientist to secure an additional £4.43 in funding to take their idea to the next stage.
How do we know that our research has such a good return on investment?
A typical project that you help us fund will produce new findings that answer some key questions about the nature of cancer. These findings would then be used by the researcher (or perhaps other researchers around the world) to secure funding from other organisations who specialise in taking the research to the next stage of the journey.
This would usually be funding covering a longer period and for a greater sum of money. We call this downstream funding.
Recently we surveyed all of our researchers who have completed a project since 2008, to find out if they were able to secure downstream funding directly from the results of the project we funded. The results were inspiring, with an average return on investment of 443%.
The impact of this downstream funding is best demonstrated with the research of Professor David Bowtell. In 2011, David secured £208,000 funding from Worldwide Cancer Research for an innovative research project. The results of that project were then used to help secure downstream funding elsewhere valued at over £3million.
This additional funding allowed David to pursue further research on how ovarian cancers become resistant to treatment and has since led to two clinical trials where his research is now starting to directly benefit patients.
By becoming a Curestarter, you can help us continue to support more bright ideas like Professor Bowtell's - allowing us to potentially uncover new knowledge about cancer that could lead to lifesaving new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
Donate now & become a Curestarter
Be part of a united effort to stop lives being cut short by cancer.
