Michelle Mitchell
Cancer research is not a ‘nice to have’ – it’s vital
Why the chief executive of Cancer Research UK believes that investment in research, new innovative treatments and diagnostic tools could fulfil the promise of beating the disease
“This is a golden age for cancer research,” says Michelle Mitchell. It’s early morning, and the CEO of Cancer Research UK is at her desk, ready for a typically full day of engagements. Her tone is one of steady optimism, and her use of the present tense is deliberate: Mitchell is an evangelist for a productive epoch that she believes is here now, rather than a far-off future at which we might one day arrive.
Cancer Research UK is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the world, and provides the finance for around 50 per cent of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK. “We have never known as much about cancer as we do today,” says Mitchell. “We have new tools and technologies. What would have taken years, our researchers can now do in days and hours. And that means we're on the brink of making huge leaps in how we prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.”
What would have taken years, our researchers can now do in days and hours
Mitchell cites cervical cancer as an example of a disease that – for future generations, at least – could be eliminated. “Cancer Research UK's role in getting to this point has involved decades worth of research, innovation and funding from the public,” she says. “Our scientists helped discover the link between cervical cancer and HPV [human papillomavirus]. We also funded clinical trials and contributed to the design of the cervical screening programme.” The HPV vaccine programme was introduced in 2008 and is expected to prevent up to 90 per cent of cervical cancers.
“Through research we’ve made incredible leaps over the decades. We’ve seen major advances in radiotherapy and our work has helped double cancer survival in the last 50 years.” She points out that the rise in the lifetime chance of the occurrence of cancer, which in the UK is now nearly 1 in 2 people born after 1961, in part reflects a growing and ageing population.
The UK and international scientific and research communities are already starting to reap benefits from advances in digital, data science, genomics and artificial intelligence. “With these tools, our scientists and clinicians can reimagine what's possible,” says Mitchell. But she adds that new discoveries, innovation and progress are not guaranteed. “We need to back cancer research and strengthen the UK’s ability to quickly translate research into treatments, so that it results in benefits for patients and their families. Cancer research is not a ‘nice to have’: it’s vital, it saves lives.”
Shaping a new era of investment
Since taking on her role as chief executive of Cancer Research UK in 2018, Mitchell – a respected figure in the UK charity sector, whose record of senior roles includes time as a Non-Executive Director of NHS England, Chief Executive of the MS Society and Director General of Age UK – has emphasised the need for long-term sustainable funding for medical research and the risk of over-reliance on charity-funded research. “The challenge is that there’s a £1bn gap over the next 10 years in projected cancer research funding. Per capita, it goes up to £2bn over 10 years.”
To retain the UK’s competitive advantage in life sciences and cancer research, that funding gap needs to be closed. “We're urging the UK Government to think long-term about how we ensure sustainable funding for cancer research, which improves cancer survival, reduces pressure on the NHS and strengthens productivity and the economy,” says Mitchell. “Government, philanthropists and industry should be part of developing this plan, to make sure that, in the next 10 and 20 years, we continue to deliver for people affected by cancer.”
A vision for change
Mitchell, who grew up in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, was the first person in her family to go to university, reading Economics at Manchester University in the 1990s. She went on to further study at Birkbeck, INSEAD, Harvard’s John F Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School. In her early career she worked for the NSPCC and chaired the Fawcett Society.
While Director General at Age UK, Mitchell launched a campaign, Let's Talk Money, to prompt a national conversation around older people’s incomes. As Chief Executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society from 2013 to 2018, she contributed to a 40 per cent increase in access to treatments for the condition. Mitchell says there have been common themes to her approach across different leadership roles. “You have to build a team of the broadest talent. Because, often, the vision of the world you're trying to create requires expertise and perspectives from a variety of backgrounds. Know the impact you want to achieve, set a long-term direction and communicate with and inspire all those who your cause touches. Our brand story [at Cancer Research UK] demonstrates how investment in cancer research saves and improves lives. This is only possible because of the generosity of millions of people who support us.”
A future without cancer
Cancer Research UK currently invests around £400mn annually in cancer research. More than eight in 10 people who receive cancer drugs in the UK receive a drug developed by or with Cancer Research UK. They include PARP inhibitors, a targeted drug treatment for several types of cancer including ovarian, breast and prostate cancer. “We protect the intellectual property that is developed from the work of the world-class scientists and researchers we fund,” explains Mitchell. “Our innovation engine, Cancer Research Horizons, advances, develops and commercialises innovative scientific research into effective treatments and diagnostics for cancer patients.”
Cancer Research Horizons is dedicated to driving impact for cancer patients. It has an impressive impact and commercial record, helping to bring 14 drugs to market, playing an instrumental role in creating more than 70 start-ups, and reinvesting £600m-plus in research from royalties and intellectual property revenue. One development that Cancer Research Horizons supported was a form of screening used in some regions by the NHS for oesophageal cancer – currently one of the “cancers of unmet need”. Other examples, Mitchell says, include pancreatic cancer and lung cancer, of which detection too often takes place at a late stage, and/or satisfactory treatments remain elusive.
Our rate-limiting factor is finance, not good ideas
“Investment is a way to accelerate impact and ensure cancer research is translated into patient benefit,” says Mitchell. “Our rate-limiting factor is finance, not good ideas. We must ensure no good science is left on the shelf.”
