Sarcoma UK is delighted to announce that it will be committing £804,640 to support nine new cutting-edge research projects in sarcoma.
The new projects cover a wide range of research fields – from hacking our immune system to attack sarcomas, to harnessing the power of AI, and International collaboration to improve sarcoma diagnosis. Some of this year’s crop of projects also focus on especially rare sarcoma subtypes like desmoplastic small round cell tumours, for which funding is desperately needed to find new treatments.
Nearly half of this funding will directly support the new sarcoma research leaders of tomorrow, via four new PhD studentships. Under the supervision of experienced sarcoma researchers, Sarcoma UK’s funding will support each student to undertake an innovative project, tackling problems like resistance to treatment, or anxiety around follow-up appointments.
Since we first started funding research in 2009, our focus has been on supporting research of the highest scientific quality, with the greatest possible impact for patients. This year has seen a renewed focus on patient involvement in our research programme, bringing in the perspectives of people affected by sarcoma when selecting the projects Sarcoma UK supports. For the first time this year, our Research Grant Lay Reviewers evaluated each proposal on the relevance and importance of the project for sarcoma patients, and we welcomed four people affected by sarcoma to our Grant Review Panel, where they were responsible for making research recommendations to our Board of Trustees.
Dr Sorrel Bickley, Director of Research, Policy and Support at Sarcoma UK, said:
It is extraordinary to be able to invest over £800,000 directly into sarcoma research after two especially challenging pandemic years. This takes our all-time research investment to over £5 million, all thanks to the incredible supporters of Sarcoma UK. These new projects represent another exciting step forward in the journey to improve outcomes for sarcoma patients and their families.
Read more about the new projects and the science behind them. Over the next few weeks and months, we will be running individual project features to highlight how the research teams hope to make an impact for people affected by sarcoma.
Without the generous support and enthusiastic fundraising efforts of everyone who donates to Sarcoma UK, this vital research wouldn’t be happening – donate today to help them to continue this work.
