Researchers James Allison and Tasuku Honjo have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for their pioneering work on cancer immunotherapy.\r\nHailed as a revolution in the treatment of cancer, immunotherapy works by boosting the body\u2019s natural defences against cancer. The immune system has an innate ability to seek out and destroy cancer cells. However, cancer cells can develop cunning ways to avoid this surveillance system.
In October 1843 Ada Lovelace published a set of notes which included a description of an algorithm to compute Bernoulli numbers on Charles Babbage\u2019s analytical engine. Ada Lovelace Day in early October celebrates the achievements of women in science. It also marked the start of Sylvana Hassanieh\u2019s journey towards her PhD at the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford.
We work in cancer research. When all the lab work is done, our dream is that the long hours will lead to a change in cancer treatment and a better outcome for those who have to take the cancer journey. \r\nResearch is a scientific business often driven by personal goals, a mixture of curiosity and a desire to publish and build a career. But in our world there are people living with cancer today who have a very different set of desires for our work.
We are slowly trickling back into labs and offices as we are approaching the end of the summer, and what better way to welcome the start of term than by looking back on one of our summer outreach efforts?
In June, Claire Brooks attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago where the AspECT trial results were presented. She writes here about both the conference and the challenging process of getting the results published in time!
We must reach out to the people who fund our work; some of these are adults across the UK who donate to Cancer Research UK or pay their taxes. Dr Mario Munoz Pinto (on the left in the photo below) reached out and found that one way to a parent\u2019s heart and mind may be through their children.
On Friday, 18th May the postdocs of the Department of Oncology met for their 6th Annual Away Day. The event was organised by the Oncology Postdoc Network Committee (OPN) and for the third year running, the event was held at the Oxford Martin School in the heart of Oxford on Broad Street.
Applying to Oxford is a daunting prospect. For many students in their last year of school, the idea of going to Oxford seems so far out of reach that it\u2019s not worth applying. For others, Oxford seems like a place where they couldn\u2019t fit in or make a success of their time here. A number of people have set out to challenge these perceptions. Amongst them The University itself and a teacher training scheme called \u2018Teach First\u2019.
I really like to participate in outreach programmes. It is a unique chance to master a short explanation of a complex scientific idea and present it to the public and a useful skill for both social and professional occasions.
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