The family of Shay Patel has announced a £221,111 investment into research at our Centre of Excellence at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) to mark what should have been Shay’s 19th birthday. The generous contribution will help to fast-track the Centre’s pioneering work to find a cure for the deadliest of all childhood cancers.
Shay was diagnosed with a glioblastoma – now likely classified within the group of paediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas (PDHGG) in 2018, aged 11. He and his family travelled to the United States and Germany in search of alternative treatments that might extend his life. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic brought these options to an end and Shay passed away 22 months after diagnosis, aged only 13.
The funding donated by Shay’s Smiles, a Member Charity founded in his memory, is supporting a three-year target validation study. This vital work will fund specialist researchers and essential research materials to identify and test new treatment targets for PDHGG using cutting-edge genetic techniques.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002. One in three children who die each year of cancer is killed by a brain tumour, with PDHGG carrying especially poor survival, typically measured in months rather than years.
This latest announcement comes as the research team reaches a pivotal stage in its work – pinpointing the most promising new targets and treatment options to progress into rapid pre-clinical testing, before ultimately moving into a clinical trial.
Shay’s mum, Niki said: “Nothing prepares you for losing your child. Shay was robbed of his future and of being with us. Every birthday without him is heartbreaking, but each passing year strengthens our resolve to help other families facing the horror of a paediatric-type diffuse high-grade glioma, from which two-year survival is less than 10%.”
Inspired by Shay’s legacy? Donate today to help support vital research, commenting “Shay’s Smiles”.
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