DAME Deborah James’ friends say that she would have been thrilled to hear that money was raised to fund a breakthrough in the field of cancer research.
A team of experts funded by Cancer Research UK, who received money from the Bowelbabe pot that raised a whopping £7million after Debs set it up, have discovered a way to stop late-stage bowel cancer growing.
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Dr Kevin Myant led a team that was able block cancer-related messages by targeting a particular gene that does not affect healthy cells.
Steve Bland, whose wife Rachael hosted the You, Me and the Big C Podcast with Dame Deborah, died in June at the age of 40. He said that the campaigner would be. “thrilled”.
He shared his story The Mirror: “It’s extraordinary what’s happening in the world of cancer and the speed at which research is moving.
“The drive and passion that people show to improve the lives of patients with cancer is incredible. I’m sure this is something Deb would have been thrilled about.
“Deb did so much and she was so passionate about research but we won’t get to see the impact of the fundraising she did for decades to come.”
Although the Cancer Research UK funding was originally allocated to the team many years ago, the Bowelbabe funds are still available to fund similar research efforts in the future.
Dr. Myant, the team leader, explained that the breakthrough could make it easier to treat the disease.
He said, “If we can stop the splicing from becoming hijacked we can stop bowel carcinoma from growing and make treatment more accessible.”
“There is an urgent need for better treatments for bowel cancer, particularly where it is caught at a later stage. This research could open up new approaches to treating bowel cancer in the future.”
Every year, 43,000 people are diagnosed in the UK with bowel cancer.
Over the past decade, the rate of bowel cancer diagnosis among the under-50s has risen by 32%.
A spokesperson for Cancer Research UK said that “The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK” will support causes or projects that Deborah was passionate about.
“These include funding clinical trials and research into personalised medicine that could result in new treatments for cancer patients.”
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