“Without gifts in Wills, I wouldn’t be able to do the work I do”

Around 44,900 people a year are diagnosed with cancer in the North West* – over 120 people every day. The same amount of people could fill Manchester’s AO Arena to capacity more than twice over. So, research into the best ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease has never been more vital. But it requires funding.

Cancer Research UK's pioneering work across the UK, including in the North West, benefits from the generosity of supporters leaving a gift to Cancer Research UK in their Will. In fact, legacy gifts fund a third of its research.

Alexandra Hendry is a researcher based at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, where work spans the whole spectrum of cancer research, from investigating the molecular basis of cancer to developing new treatments. Here, Alexandra talks about her area of expertise. She said: “I study how cells divide and the signals that control cell growth. This is important as all cancers deregulate the cell cycle, and often don’t respond to signals to stop growing. Understanding how these signals work and targeting them could help develop treatments for many different types of cancer.”

Alexandra explains her motivations for choosing the area of cancer research: “I was drawn to cancer research because of how pervasive cancer is: almost no one lives a life untouched by cancer. It is also such a complex and varied group of diseases; cancers of different tissues are completely different, and even within the same cancer type patients can have completely different cancers. It’s a unique and massive problem, affecting us all, and any extra pair of hands in research is important to push us all forward.”

In 2020/21, Cancer Research UK spent around £33m on world-leading research right here in the