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Friends of

The journey of a research project

In 2009, Friends of Rosie funded Dr Jenny Adamski, from the University of Manchester, in her research project into the effects of chemotherapy drugs at low levels of oxygen on tumour cells. Jenny’s study was completed in 2011, at which point she reported back on her findings at the NCRI Annual Cancer Conference. Friends of Rosie caught up with Jenny to find out what her research has gone on to achieve.

Research summary

Jenny’s study looked at how cells from osteosarcoma, a bone tumour in children, respond to chemotherapy drugs in low oxygen concentrations. The research found that in osteosarcoma cells, drug resistance in low oxygen levels was not dependant on a particular molecule called HIF-1, unlike in other forms of cancer such as neuroblastoma. This was an important finding. It suggested that drugs that prevent activity from this molecule are unlikely to be useful in reducing drug resistance in low levels of oxygen in osteosarcoma.

The research was for her PHD, which was awarded in 2011. However, as Jenny explains, finding funding for the project wasn’t easy and she had several false starts in getting this project off the ground.

“I had lots of failed attempts to get together the necessary money to fund my research. However, thanks to Friends of Rosie, and some money from Cancer Research UK, I managed to get enough together to fund the three-year project.

Fight for funding

“I don’t think people realise how competitive it is to get funding for research unless you work within a research centre with funded projects in place. Clinicians can spend a huge amount of time just trying to get funding together. In Manchester there isn’t a central ‘pot’ that you can apply to for start-up funding for research. Therefore, you depend upon support from charities.”

It can be surprising to hear how little funding is centrally available for children’s cancer research projects like Jenny’s. That’s why charities like Friends of Rosie play such an important role in helping to get research off the ground.

Explains Jenny, “Although I didn’t personally continue with this particular project after my PHD, there are many benefits to the research having taken place. Firstly, my study into the effects of chemotherapy drugs in low oxygen concentrations on osteosarcoma cells is now a piece of published research that has been added to the body of knowledge for children’s cancer research.  This means that other clinicians can analyse those findings and use them to inform their own pieces of research.

“And secondly, receiving the funding from Friends of Rosie, and being able to go ahead with my research project, taught me how to do research. It gave me that first important step that meant I could then go on to conduct further research and incorporate it into my everyday role as a paediatric oncologist.

“A lot of people who go on to be great researchers need that first step, that first bit of support, to encourage them to move forward. And that can make all the difference in discovering a major breakthrough in research, bringing us all that bit closer to finding cures for childhood cancers.”

Following Jenny’s research project with Friends of Rosie, she gained a Fellowship in Neurooncology in Toronto, Canada. Since then, she has recently taken up a consultant neurooncology post at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, where she is involved in Phase 1 clinical trials.

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Nancy Dykes

Nancy Dykes

Nancy, 11, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just 2 years old. She was treated with Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) in Germany but unfortunately relapsed less than a year later. The family were then sent to Germany for a second round of PBT. Although treatment helped to cure Nancy’s cancer, she has been left with lots of lasting effects which will require ongoing treatment throughout her life. Here Nancy and her mum, Antonia, share their story in the hope it will help others, raise awareness, and raise more money for children’s cancer research.

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Prof John Hickman

Prof John Hickman

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF
 
I am a relative of the Larkin family and knew Rosie Larkin ( Friends of Rosie, now CCRF) when she had and then died of neuroblastoma, aged six. At that time, I was a scientist and professor at Manchester University, actively working on the problem of why some cancers do not die despite intensive and toxic therapies.  Seeing Rosie during her unsuccessful therapy and then attending her funeral, besides being emotional, drove me to double down on my own research as well as to support the Charity as best I could as a cancer researcher. I spent over a decade as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the CCRF, when the Board moulded policies to ensure that funds raised for research into childhood cancers were distributed only to clinicians and researchers who had the brightest ideas that could impact of cancer medicine for children.
 
My role on the Board
 
As a Trustee,  I hope that my many decades of experience in cancer research and medicine can help the CCRF determine where best the funds that are raised can be invested in cutting edge research and medicine. I am also keen that the CCRF brings together UK and international experts in science and cancer medicine to brainstorm on how best to advance the treatment of childhood cancers.
 
My Background
 
I was a Professor of Pharmacology at Manchester University, working on drug resistance in cancer. I then moved to Paris, where I still live, to head cancer drug discovery at a French pharmaceutical company (Servier). I then headed an EU consortium for six years that brought together researchers from the pharmaceutical industry, universities and biotechnology companies, from all over Europe and the UK, to improve cancer drug discovery. I continue to be active in cancer health policy, publishing in the medical literature.
Katrina

Katrina London

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF

I have spent my professional career representing individuals and families affected by the devastating asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, which has no cure and for which there are only a limited number of palliative treatments available on the NHS.

I joined CCRF because I wanted to bring my understanding of the need to raise awareness of less well known cancers and passion for the need to secure improved funding for research to children facing a cancer diagnosis.

My role on the Board

I am responsible for oversight of our collaboration agreements with other charities to co-fund research into cures and treatments for childhood cancers. I also manage our challenge events and help with community fundraising. 

My Background

I am a Senior Associate at Irwin Mitchell LLP and specialise in Asbestos Disease Litigation, acting on behalf of victims of asbestos related diseases and their families.  Over the years, I have undertaken a number of fundraising challenges to raise money for cancer research, including a 1000 mile cycle ride from Glasgow to Southampton.   

Carla

Carla Nuttall

Why I’m a Trustee of CCRF
 
I became a trustee of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund because I believe every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy and with everything to look forward to in life. Like many people, I’ve seen the impact cancer can have on families and I wanted to do something that could make a real difference. This started through my work as an ambassador for Cyclists Fighting Cancer, which supported young people and their families in finding strength, confidence, and joy through movement.
 
That experience shaped my understanding of the challenges families face and the importance of community-led support – but crucially, the clear need for that to go hand-in-hand with targeted research and long-term solutions.
 
This is why I’m so passionate about the work CCRF does and proud to contribute to a cause that gives children and their families, the greatest chance of living a life without limits.
 
My Role on the Board
 
I support CCRF’s mission by bringing my experience in brand, marketing, and communications to the board. My focus is on helping CCRF tell its story in a way that resonates with people – whether that’s families, researchers, donors, or the wider public. I work alongside an incredible team to strengthen CCRF’s voice, build trust, and grow awareness so that more children and families can benefit from the breakthroughs we’re helping to fund.
 
My Background
 
I’m the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Marketing for The Growth Company, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people, businesses, and places to thrive through its market-leading insight, employment, skills and business support.
My passion is to help the organisations I work with to communicate with clarity, purpose, and integrity. That’s why I’ve spent my career in strategic communications supporting organisations that want to make a positive difference – CCRF could not fit my sense of purpose any better.