Here we are, back after Summer recess and ready to begin a fresh campaigning term across the UK with a new Government at Westminster and exciting events planned across the devolved nations.
Our first update this week is that, following a Private Members’ Bill ballot, Margaret's Law as put forward by Dame Siobhain McDonagh won't be taken forward at this stage. We are sure that this will be a disappointment for Siobhain but it most certainly won't be the end of 'Margaret's Final Campaign'.
Wednesday saw the announcement of a new industry-government partnership with up to £400 million of investment to support faster patient access to cutting-edge treatments, strengthen clinical trials and improve UK medicine manufacturing.
The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access, and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme will channel significant investment into the UK’s health and life sciences sector over the next five years, boosting economic growth and the global competitiveness of the UK’s life sciences sector.
VPAG is a voluntary agreement between the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), designed to improve patient outcomes, manage the NHS medicines bill, and support the life sciences industry.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This private investment is a significant vote of confidence in the UK and will fast-track the next generation of treatments to NHS patients.”
Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “We are determined that the most effective new treatments are made available to NHS patients by ensuring the UK is the best place to discover and deploy new medicines, from early research through clinical trials to manufacture.”
There was positive reaction to the announcement from across the devolved nations and from Government funders, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
How all of this translates for UK brain tumour patients is of key importance for us and we will make sure we monitor progress and ensure there is, where possible, equality of developments and benefit, as brain tumour patients have historically been left behind as progress has been made in other cancer sites and disease areas.
Read the Government press release on VPAG here.
In welcome news announced last week, 23 companies will benefit from a share of £12 million from the Innovate UK Cancer Therapeutics programme.
The Cancer Therapeutics programme focuses on developing life-changing cancer treatments, including immunotherapies and vaccines. It also supports projects addressing unmet medical needs for treating childhood and young persons’ cancers.
Of the 23 companies, five have a specific brain cancer focus:
- Coding Bio Ltd has been awarded £606,814 for work on a novel messenger RNA-based cell therapy for childhood brain cancer
- £475,743 goes to Pathios Therapeutics Ltd Developing drugs to block a receptor (GPR65), unleashing the immune system to attack devastating brain tumours such as aggressive glioma
- QV Bioelectronics Ltd will benefit from funding of £343,260 to support creating implants to treat childhood brain cancer.
- £551,639 for Revolver Therapeutics Ltd will support identifying tiny proteins, known as peptides, that can enter cells to prevent specific cancer-causing proteins from binding to DNA within a child’s brain tumour – this phenomenon is strongly associated with high-grade childhood brain and spinal tumours and it is hoped that by interfering with these DNA-binding proteins, these cancers affecting children can be treated
- £409,040 will go to Sferola Ltd which is developing next-generation nanotechnology for paediatric brain tumours and partnering with University of Leeds to test its potential in their state-of-the-art preclinical models
Our Director of Research, Policy and Innovation, Dr Karen Noble, said: “We are heartened by this direction of travel and the support offered. Outside of the specific brain tumour focused awards money is also going to other companies whose work could benefit future brain tumour patients. The challenge remains to make sure advancements on the scientist’s bench don’t just translate to the patient’s bedside but are able to translate quickly because our community has been starved of progress and new treatment options for far too long.”
Read more about the awards here.
Whilst we cannot claim this with certainty, as brain tumour campaigners, we feel that the noise we have been making for the past months and years must have some influence in preparing the ground for such a clearly favourable landscape for funding brain tumour themed applications.
What does next week offer?
We return to Westminster to register the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Brain Tumours (APPGBT) on Tuesday. There will be a full update on that next Friday and the following day we will be in Holyrood to meet with Health Minister Jenny Minto (pictured above) - again we will report back next Friday.
Plans for our drop in event at Stormont later this month are well underway with a great list of speakers to help us bring awareness to Members of the Legislative Assembly.
Our collaborative endeavours continue of course and as well as the meeting of the Scottish Cancer Coalition this week there has been a meeting of Cancer 52 and we'd like to wish their new CEO, Chris Walden, good luck he will be a great asset to the organisation. Alongside Cancer52 charity member organisations this week we joined a round table event 9pictured above)hosted by Genomics England where collectively we explored collaborative opportunities and discussed how whole genome sequencing data could be used to maximise impact for patients including diagnosis, treatment, clinical trial access as well as helping to inform research.
A new agenda for the new term will be on the table for a meeting of One Cancer Voice too and we'll be there making the case for brain tumour research and we are just about to start Party Conference season which will see Thomas crisscrossing the country and making our case to party politicians and activists. Keep an eye on our social media for pictures of him drumming up support.
Finally this week thanks to Sarah Owen MP, an officer in the APPGBT before it was disbanded when the election was called, for supporting our cause and her constituents Khuram and Yasmin by mentioning brain tumours in a Westminster Hall debate this week (forward to the 10:29 mark - https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/cd649f16-5861-4375-818a-4aa6c43d63bb?in=09:30:00).
Khuram and Yasmin's daughter Amani Liaquat will never be forgotten.
We will be back next Friday.
Wishing you all a peaceful time until then.
Hugh & Thomas