Coronation Street actress on cancer mission

12 Dec 2013

Star visits the Manchester scientists looking for better treatments for pancreatic cancer

Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays pancreatic cancer patient Hayley Cropper, has visited the University on a fact-finding mission to look at work being done by scientists to fight the disease.

Julie, who is calling for more funding to support research into pancreatic cancer, met scientists working on a two-year study, funded by the national charity, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund (PCRF).

Julie’s character Hayley was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer and given six months to live in the soap back in September. Since then she has met dozens of families who have lost loved-ones to the cancer and joined a campaign calling for more funding for research.

Julie met Professor Caroline Dive, from the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, who explained how her £150,000 research project is analysing stray tumour cells that circulate in the blood. She hopes it will pave the way to profiling the molecular characteristics of patients’ pancreatic tumours from a single blood test.

She also met Professor Richard Marais – who heads the research carried out in the University’s Paterson Building – on the visit with Maggie Blanks Chief Executive of PCRF.

The Manchester team hope to set up clinical trials tailoring treatments for individual patients based on the analysis of their tumour type, and also monitor the success of their treatment regime.

Julie said: “It’s been really exciting to be shown what’s happening at the cutting edge of research into pancreatic cancer, and fantastic to see that this research is taking place right here in Manchester. I've learnt so much!

“When I first found out about the storyline I knew very little about pancreatic cancer but since then I’ve met some wonderful people and have been trying to support more funding for research in this area.

“Pancreatic cancer has worst survival rate of any common cancer – only three in every 100 people diagnosed will live beyond five years and we need to see more investment so that scientists, like the ones I’ve met today in Manchester, can continue to make steps forward to find ways to fight this disease.”

Professor Marais said: "New research is urgently needed if we are to improve outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients. Our scientists here in Manchester are conducting laboratory research that will inform patient treatment. We are very grateful to the wonderful supporters of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund for their continued donations that allow us to perform this important research."

Despite being the UK’s fifth biggest cancer killer, with some 8,500 people diagnosed every year, pancreatic cancer receives less than 2% of national research funding. The Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is the only charity in the UK exclusively funding research into the disease. To date it funds 27 research projects around the UK, worth some £4 million.

Mrs Blanks, CEO of the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, said: “The world-class research we fund at The University of Manchester is a great example of how we can drive progress to find new, more successful treatments that are personalised to the individual needs of the patient, rather than the ‘one-size fits all’ approach, which is the only option available to clinicians.

“Julie’s help in raising awareness of this disease is wonderful and I hope this translates into more research money being made available for pancreatic cancer as it’s the only way we can start to improve the shockingly low survival rates.”