Beatson Pebble Appeal reaches funding milestone

The Appeal, launched in 2008, is raising money to support the development of new cancer treatments. The money raised is being used to fully fund the construction of the Beatson Translational Research Centre in Garscube, Glasgow. However, the success of the campaign to date has encouraged Appeal staff to continue fundraising to help pay for new equipment for the centre along with infrastructure and staffing costs so that the centre can achieve its ambitious goals.

The centre, which is due to open in spring 2013, will provide a suite of state-of-the-art facilities for researchers working to develop new and more targeted treatments for a wide range of common types of the disease including breast, prostate, pancreatic and ovarian cancers. It is hoped that more effective treatments can be created through the development of drugs specifically tailored to individual patients’ requirements and accelerating implementation in the clinic. This personalised medicine approach aims to provide the right treatment, to the right patient, at the right time, for the right cost and with the right outcome.

The development of the Centre is a collaboration between the University of Glasgow, the Beatson Institute, Cancer Research UK and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

The £10m was raised from public donations, University of Glasgow alumni and numerous trusts and foundations. The Appeal’s innovative Text for Tommy campaign, named in honour of Celtic FC star Tommy Burns who succumbed to cancer in 2008, was a hit with football fans, who raised more than £150,000 via donations from their mobile phones. In July, a generous £300,000 donation from a private charitable trust took the Appeal over the £10 million mark and closed the Appeal’s capital campaign.

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “The University is undertaking a wide range of cancer research projects and the facilities of the Beatson Translational Research Centre will help our scientists advance the fight against the disease.

“Without the immense generosity of donors, the construction of the Centre would be impossible. We’re tremendously grateful for their support and look forward to the completion of the Centre’s construction.

“However, support from public donations remains as vital as ever. Although the cost of the Centre’s construction has been met, continued donations will allow the Centre’s staff to purchase new equipment to advance their research and contribute towards the day-to-day running of the Centre.

“I’d encourage anyone who has considered fundraising for the Beatson Pebble Appeal to do so, knowing that their contributions will still be of great importance.”

Once completed, the Centre will be known as the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre in recognition of donations from The Wolfson Foundation and the Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation which total £2.85million. The Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, along with the Beatson Institute and the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Research Centre, will provide cancer services to more than 60 percent of the population of Scotland.

The Centre will be headed by Director Professor Andrew Biankin, who will also take up the role of Chair of Surgery in the University’s College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences early next year.