Blood Cancer

This morning Lindsay and I attended an Open Day organised by Leukemia and Lymphoma Research (LLR), one of the main organisations that funds this research, at UCL Cancer Institute. There were seven presentations on the research being conducted, followed by demonstrations in the laboratories. It was a steep learning curve for us, having no previous knowledge of the science beyond articles in the media. We heard, for example, about how T cells, which play an important role in getting rid of viruses, can be modified to hook onto cancer cells and destroy them. The equipment needed for this research is enormously expensive but steadily becoming more powerful. UCL is probably the premier centre of excellence in the UK, and clearly attracts bright young researchers from all over the world, some of them funded by the EU.