The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund Scientific Award

An innovative new study will form the basis of the first major scientific award from the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. Dr. Zsuzsanna Tabi, who works at the Velindre Hospital , Cardiff University , will investigate the feasibility of using the patient's own immune system to fight the cancerous cells that cause mesothelioma. The £139,000, which was awarded by the British Lung Foundation's Scientific Committee on behalf of the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund, will provide funding for three years research into this novel approach to cancer therapy. Dame Helena Shovelton , Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation said:

“So little research goes into mesothelioma compared to other cancers, The British Lung Foundation is very proud to have made this award to Dr. Tabi for her work on immunology.”

Mesothelioma is a disease for which there is at present no cure. It can develop slowly over many years as a result of asbestos fibres entering the lungs following exposure in the workplace or the environment. Once diagnosed, life expectancy varies but on average this is not usually much more than one year. Conventional approaches to cancer treatment such as chemotherapy using anti-cancer drugs or radiotherapy have proved ineffective at curing the disease, and surgical procedures to try to remove the mesothelioma tumour are only suitable for a small number of patients. Dr. Tabi commented:

“ At the moment there is no cure for mesothelioma and treatment is mainly palliative”

Current strategies for treatment therefore are aimed at reducing the symptoms of the disease and maintaining patients' quality of life for as long as possible.

Dr. Tabi's study will use immune cells to find out if they can be activated to target and destroy the diseased cells, in the same way that our bodies fight infections like the common cold or influenza. These small components of the immune system, called T-lymphocytes or T-cells, can be derived from the fluid that collects around the lungs in cases of mesothelioma. She will also investigate the ways in which mesothelioma cancer cells (like other cancers) protect themselves from attack by the immune system. Together this information may lead to better, less toxic treatments for mesothelioma, and perhaps eventually to the production of vaccines that could check the development of mesothelioma.

June Hancock's daughter, Kimberley said of the Award:
“This is a proud day for everyone involved with the June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund. We are so delighted with this award – research into mesothelioma is desperately needed if we are to ever eradicate this extremely cruel and painful disease. My wonderful Mum, June Hancock, paved the way for justice – and now this research award, in her name and in her loving memory, paves the way for a cure. Thank you to all who have donated money to the Fund and made today possible.”

The JHMRF acknowledges the value of every donation that is received by the fund. It is the hard work and unstinting support of the fund's supporters that have enabled this important work in mesothelioma to be sponsored. Mesothelioma is a rare disease and consequently is less often researched than other, more common cancers. It is therefore vital that funds like the JHMRF continue to provide a source of funding for research that may improve treatments for victims of this heartbreaking disease in the future.

22 February 2007

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