Staff and patients at the Oxford Cancer Centre at the Churchill Hospital have thanked fundraisers for the Bloodwise charity who have raised enough money to fully fund a trial of a new leukaemia drug.
The staff and patient Thelma, who has been on the trial, sent their appreciation in a video to Bloodwise after fundraisers, led by actor Sam Heughan, took part in My Peak Challenge and raised more than £300,000 to fund the Camellia trial.
The Camellia trial, run at the Churchill Hospital, is looking at a new drug called Hu5F9-G4 to treat acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).
Hu5F9-G4 is a type of biological therapy known as a monoclonal antibody. It works by blocking the signals of a protein called CD47, which can stop the body’s immune system from working and destroying cancer cells.
The Chief Investigator on the trial is University of Oxford Professor of Haematology Professor Paresh Vyas, who is Theme Lead at the NIHR Oxford BRC for Molecular Diagnostics.
He said: “The Oxford University Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust, Oxford University and the NIHR Oxford BRC are extremely proud to bring new treatments to improve patient lives. This is just one example where we have worked with our partners in the UK and abroad to bring a completely new treatment for patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, the most common aggressive adult leukaemia. It is early days but we are seeing patients benefitting and this is really pleasing.”
Alasdair Rankin, director of research at Bloodwise, said: “We made this video to thank some of our fantastic fundraisers. Camellia is one example of the great research projects that Bloodwise funds in Oxford. We’re grateful to everyone in the Oxford community who supports our vital research – we couldn’t do it without you.”