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Researchers at the University of Birmingham

Help change the future of cancer care

Your gift could speed up research that brings kinder, smarter and safer tests and treatments to patients.
Support research into cancer
Researchers at the University of Birmingham


We have all heard the statistics. Cancer will affect one in two of us during our lifetime. While survival rates have improved, too many people are still diagnosed too late, and many treatments take a huge toll on the patient. At Birmingham, our researchers are rethinking how cancer is detected and treated, placing patients and their families at the heart of every breakthrough.

With the generous support of our alumni community, Birmingham has earned a global reputation as a leader in cancer research. But progress cannot pause. Breakthroughs only happen when bold ideas are matched with sustained investment and that is where your support is urgently needed.

I won’t pretend; chemotherapy and radiotherapy can be very difficult. On top of the cancer, my boys experienced side-effects like exhaustion, sickness, hair loss and extreme weight loss. The University of Birmingham is working on treatments that are more effective against cancer cells, while doing less damage to surrounding healthy cells.

Twin boys playing card games on a hospital bed
Julie Parton, mother of identical twin boys, Ben and Jack, who both endured cancer treatment. Tragically, Ben died in 2019 from a rare brain tumour known as glioblastoma.

Your gift can help researchers at Birmingham continue rethinking how cancer is detected and treated, turning bold ideas into real-world treatments faster than ever before.

  • Earlier, less invasive detection of oral cancer

    Dr Ruchi Gupta and her team are working on a flavoured ‘lollipop’ that patients simply suck, allowing it to collect tiny protein samples from saliva to be analysed for the earliest signs of mouth cancer without the need for invasive procedures.

    Help create better cancer tests

  • Protecting patients through safer cancer therapies

    Professor Jason Parsons and his team are testing new ways to target tumours more precisely. It includes using proton beams instead of X-rays, involving infusing tumours with a compound that that after neutron irradiation releases particles to destroy cancer cells from within.

    Help turn research into treatments

The University of Birmingham is a place where ideas are tested and transformed into real-world impact. Our researchers are pioneering less invasive ways to identify cancer sooner and make treatment more effective, to save more lives. Be part of something truly special, by helping researchers at your University, develop kinder, smarter and safer, approaches that could transform cancer care for future generations.

Professor Neil Hanley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Head of the College of Medicine and Health

Every penny you donate will go to the labs and researchers seeking the next breakthrough. 

I’ll support cancer breakthroughs

Together, Birmingham’s graduates and researchers can change the story of cancer.