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University urges Tuesday giving for pancreatic cancer research

06/11/2017

The University of Wolverhampton is supporting Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and #GivingTuesday to fund new treatments for pancreatic cancer.

#GivingTuesday is a national day on Tuesday 28th November 2017 which encourages people to do something good for charity. An online donation page has been set up and staff and students are being urged to ‘Get Purple and Save Lives’.

Pancreatic cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the UK, with around 10,000 people being diagnosed each year. On average, more than 800 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the West Midlands every year.

University of Wolverhampton researcher, Professor Weiguang Wang, has been awarded more than £73,000 by Pancreatic Cancer UK to investigate the effectiveness of using a treatment for alcoholism, Disulfiram, to treat pancreatic cancer.

He said: “Survival has barely improved over the past 40 years with less than 5% of people living beyond 5 years from diagnosis. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be more than 418,000 new cases around the world every year, with a global mortality rate of 1,000 people dying each day.

“Despite this, over the last decade only one per cent of the total UK cancer research spend has been dedicated to the disease. We’re very pleased our research was chosen for funding and that we have been able to continue our work with Disulfiram and test its effectiveness in treating pancreatic cancer.

“Current treatment options for pancreatic cancer are limited, and most patients diagnosed with the disease have a poor prognosis. This is an extremely promising area of investigation and if we’re successful, could lead to new options to improve outcomes for people with pancreatic cancer.”

The grant was awarded as part of Pancreatic Cancer UK’s fourth annual Research Innovation Fund (RIF) grants scheme.

Donations on #GivingTuesday (or throughout the month) will help Professor Wang’s team with their vital work.

Here are some examples of how donations can help:

  • £10 could buy two 500ml bottles of RPMI 1640 growth medium for cancer cell cultures.
  • £25 could buy eight cell culture inserts for examining the spread of cancer cells in the laboratory.
  • £50 could buy 50 tissue culture dishes for growing cultures in.
  • £100 could buy a box of x-ray film for detecting the expression of drug resistant genes.

ENDS

 

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 32 2736 or 01902 518647.

Date Issued:  11th November 2017

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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