Children’s Cancer Research Fund Friends of Rosie – helping to make a difference When five-year-old Rosie Larkin lost her battle Each year, Friends of Rosie invites proposals for against cancer in 1991, her family and friends research into many different aspects of childhood were determined to carry on the fight to help cancer, from a range of medical and scientific other children affected by cancer. They set up institutions. Friends of Rosie, a charity dedicated to raising money for research into the causes, prevention, Areas of research include: diagnosis and treatment of childhood cancer. ● Studies of genetic and environmental factors which cause cancer Most childhood cancers are very different from ● adult forms of the disease. Although some treatment (which can be particularly devastating for children) comparisons can be made, the outlook for children is not the same as that for adults. Investigation of the long term effects of ● Finding more effective methods of Treatment is very intensive at a time when young controlling tumours which prove resistant to bodies are still growing, and research is urgently therapy. needed to finds less damaging and more effective treatment methods. To ensure we fund research of the highest quality, Friends of Rosie is advised by an independent One in 600 children will develop cancer in this Medical and Scientific Committee. This comprises country. Because it is not as common as adult nationally recognised clinicians and researchers forms of the disease, childhood cancer research who specialise in all aspects of children's cancer. does not attract large commercial or They consider the research proposals received and pharmaceutical company funding. It is mainly make their recommendations to the Trustees on dependent on support from cancer charities. which Friends of Rosie has a unique role among these ones to fund. charities: to provide the start-up funding which is vital to help scientists research new ideas, before their work is at a stage to attract national funding. The Trustees, who are all unpaid, award the Please help us to win the fight against childhood research grants, manage the charity's funds and cancer by making a donation, remembering us in determine its strategy. The scientists who receive your will or organising a fundraising event. funding are asked to provide a report on the outcome of their work, and the charity's To find out more, please contact: newsletter keeps supporters up to date with developments. Anne Irwin, Secretary 0161 834 7333 Friends of Rosie is run entirely by a committed group of volunteers, so virtually every penny Or go to our website: raised is spent on research. We have raised more www.friendsofrosie.co.uk than £2 million so far, thanks to the hard work and generosity of a great many supporters. Research in this field is of growing importance. The extent to which we can help depends entirely on how much money we can continue to raise. "While modern tools that are able to accurately pinpoint the treatment is mechanisms by which cancerous cells grow and highly resist conventional drugs. The first generation of successful in drugs designed specifically to target the treating many metabolic pathways present in certain cancer childhood cells have been successfully deployed. The cancers, we do challenge now is to be able to do this for all not precisely cancers, and particularly for those that affect understand why some children are cured and others fail therapy. children, for they are the ones most affected by the long term effects of current therapies." To be able to cure all children with cancer, we need a better understanding of the nature of the Vaskar Saha, disease and how cancer cells can be killed without CRUK Professor of Paediatric Oncology, damaging normal cells. Hitherto we lacked the University of Manchester Chairman of the knowledge to more than scrape the surface. Medical and Scientific Committee "This is rapidly changing as we begin to develop Friends of Rosie is very grateful to the Zochonis Charitable Trust for sponsoring the production of this brochure. To find out more about Friends of Rosie, make a donation or submit a research proposal please contact our registered office: Cottrill Stone Lawless, 86 Deansgate Manchester M3 2ER T: 0161 834 7333 Email: [email protected] www.friendsofrosie.co.uk Registered Charity Number 1046278