News archive - 2015
This is the UCARE news archive. You can also download previous editions of our newsletter.
The Secret Tulip Artwork Project
June 2015
Find out more
Read more about the Secret Tulip Artwork Project.
The Secret Tulip Artwork Project is raising money for UCARE. It will feature anonymous works of art of a tulip, from professional artists, amateur artists, celebrities, a host of household names, friends and supporters. As you will see from our logo, UCARE has a pink stylised ‘U’ which looks like a tulip. On the strength of this we have adopted the tulip as our emblem.
- We ask artists to create a piece of art, using their medium of choice ie photography; sew/stitch; ceramics; jewellery; glass-; wood- or metal– work.
- Paint/draw/sketch us a personalised picture of a tulip, using the medium, style and surface of your choice, about 21 x 15 cm [8” x 6”]. Please sign on the back. It can be framed or unframed.
- UCARE will then hold a preview evening before auctioning the work by our anonymous artists, to raise money for urology cancer research and to help us raise awareness.
- It means that art lovers will have a chance to buy your piece of art, hang a painting in their home, all of which could have been created by any one of the artists we will list at preview - and who will not be revealed to the buyer until the work is sold.
- We would like to collate all our pieces of art and paintings by 30th September 2015.
- We ask for a short CV so we can promote the artist and their work at the preview.
Questions About Cancer?
January 2015
Free advice and support coming to Oxfordshire
Free, specialist support and information about cancer is coming to Oxfordshire from Monday 22nd to Thursday 25th February. Macmillan Cancer Support’s mobile service will be visiting the area, with cancer information specialists on hand to answer questions and offer support. The team encourages anyone with worries or concerns relating to cancer to stop by, whether you’re living with or beyond cancer, or are a carer or loved one of someone who is.
Cancer can impact on all aspects of your life, and the mobile service team is available to provide information on issues ranging from how to deal with the side effects of treatment, what local support is available for carers, where to turn if you are struggling with your finances, and information on where to get travel insurance.
In Witney on Monday 22nd, and Chipping Norton on Tuesday 23rd they will be joined by Gemma Crane from UCARE. Gemma will be able to provide information and advice about signs and symptoms of cancers of the bladder, kidney and prostate and also provide info and support to patients.
Mary Mountford-Lister, a Macmillan Information and Support Specialist on the unit, says:
“It’s really important that people affected by cancer can access the information and support they need so they can focus on what’s most important: their health. We encourage anyone to step on board the bus and speak to us – we can give you advice face-to-face as well as signposting you to other services in your local area. No appointment is necessary, and we’re here even if all you need is a chat.”
Macmillan Cancer Support’s five mobile information units travel around the UK visiting local communities, providing cancer information and advice on the ground. Last year they helped around 60,000 people in over 500 locations across the UK.
Details of the visit:
- Monday 22nd February - Witney
Market Square, High Street, Opposite HSBC, OX28 6AG
10am to 4pm - Tuesday 23rd February - Chipping Norton
Outside Sainsburys 12-14 Market Place, OX7 5NA
10am to 4pm - Wednesday 24th February - Banbury
Cornhill, Pedestrianised area of Market Place, OX16 5NB
10am to 4pm - Thursday 25th February - Bicester
Sheep Street, Opposite Methodist Church, OX26 6LG
9am to 3pm
UCARE funded researchers take first step to unlocking new treatments for both prostate and breast cancer
Many of you are familiar with the work of Dr Val Macaulay and her team, and will have seen in the Summer 2014 newsletter in the Voices of UCARE a piece from Val about her research work and the importance of the UCARE funding to that work. As well as working on prostate cancer, Dr Macaulay and her team’s work also focuses on breast cancer which is funded by the Breast Cancer Campaign.
In a paper published in the journal Cancer Research, Dr Macaulay’s team used breast cancer cells grown in the lab, to find proteins that affect how well breast cancer cells are killed by IGF-1R blockers.
In parallel with this work on breast cancer, Dr Macaulay’s team conducted experiments in prostate cancer. This part of the work was funded by your support of UCARE. As with breast cancer, the results showed that reducing the amount of DVL3, or blocking DVL3 with a chemical drug, made the prostate cancer cells easier to kill with IGF-1R blockers.
Valerie Berry, Development Officer at UCARE, said:
We are very happy to have been able to support this work, which will help cancer researchers to find out which prostate cancer patients may respond to treatment with IGF-1R blockers. This work also suggests that it may be beneficial to test combinations of drugs that block DVL3 and IGF-1R.
Dr Lisa Wilde, Director of Research at Breast Cancer Campaign, said:
This is the first step to unlocking a new type of treatment, IGF-1R blockers, for the women with breast cancer who are most likely to benefit.
More information is on the Breast Cancer Campaign website.