My name is Laura brooks! Christmas Dec 15' it felt like my world had been turned upside down a spiral of bad news gave me a diagnosis of stage 4 bowel cancer with braff wild type mutation. It was then that I started my journey to fight this disease not live with cancer but actually find a cure. At times I wonder why me? only recently I have thought maybe I'm supposed to get this so I can help other people?
Recently meeting prof Gary Middleton who heads trials and research for cancer research for bowel. Passionate and driven by his work it's incredibly inspiring and it made me realise maybe I can help? Being interested in my type of cancer effecting 8-10% of patients we spoke of new developments that could help people in my position. Struggling with funding that's where I thought We could help. We are looking to find £20000 or more to work on 3 developments.
The most aggressive type of bowel cancer carries a mutation, a change in the genetic structure that happens in the cancer cells, in a gene known as BRAF. This mutation causes BRAF to remain constantly switched on activating pathways that make the cancer cells divide and grow.
1. BRAF mutant bowel cancer patients derive some benefit from standard chemo but the amount of time this gives them is often small. It is thought that one of the drugs used in chemo can have a effect on the disease . The drug damages the DNA changing the BRAF cells , we want to find out why these cells are more sensitive to DNA damage ?
2. BRAF mutation dampens down the immune system thus allowing the the cells to evade immune attack . We want to find drugs that will block these defence mechanisms .
3. It is thought that BRAF bowel cancer is dependant upon molecules that allow the cancer to migrate . It would be useful for us to understand the processes involved in this more thoroughly.
I hope you understood the above , For the price of a small car we can stop this dreadful disease in the words of Bob Geldof 'give us your money'!