Revealing Research at the Cancer Research UK-Imperial Centre

CRUK supporters enjoyed a day in the lab at the CRUK-Imperial Centre to meet the scientists and learn about the research they support.

Last month the Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-Imperial Centre invited the charity’s supporters to meet researchers working on cancer from across Imperial, learn about different types of research, and get hands-on inside a research lab.

Visitors ranged from London marathon runners fundraising for CRUK to patient panel members, charity shop volunteers and members of corporate partners. They met scientists and took part in interactive activities to learn about research in areas from risk factors for colon cancer to the investigation of cell cycle control.

Dr Alexis Barr a CRUK Career Development Fellow at the MRC London Institue of Science who specialises in cell cycle control, said: "It was a fantastic event to show fundraisers the research that we are doing. I think people really engaged with our work and asked some great questions about the kinds of experiments that we do, how we collaborate and what our end goal is. I'd love to do it again!"

Hand-on activities 

Other activities include, CRUK Research Fellow Dr Luca Magnani and his team showed groups around their labs and encouraged the visitors to get hands-on and test out their pipetting skills.

The visitors’ final task was to ‘Escape the Lab’ – an escape room-style challenge designed by CRUK to test teamwork and problem-solving skills, all whilst learning about the cutting edge research funded by the charity.

CRUK’s supporters left feeling enthused about the charity and the fantastic research they support here at the CRUK-Imperial Centre – we couldn’t do it without them!