12/09/2007       

WOMAC announces charities it will support in 2008

Women on the Move Against Cancer, the industry-supported charity which raises funds for various cancer-related organisations, has decided which programmes it will support for 2008. There are two main beneficiaries – the Leukaema Research Fund and the Neuroblastoma Society.

The Leukaemia Research Fund is the only charity in the UK dedicated exclusively to researching blood cancers and disorders including leukaemia, Hodgkin's and other lymphomas, and myeloma. It faces the daunting task of raising more than £100 million over the next five years to sustain its investment in research and support.
So we’re piling in. The LRF is introducing a Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) test – a revolutionary new way in which doctors can determine which cancer patients are at risk of relapse and need more intensive treatment or a bone marrow transplant. If, on the other hand, a patient is doing well, they can be spared from receiving the most toxic chemotherapy drugs. WOMAC is supporting the MRD Test with £20,000, which will provide 27 leukaemia patients with access to this potentially life-saving process.

Incidentally, the LRF is always ploughing its funds into research rather than the daily office comforts we all take for granted. One of its biggest outgoings is running the charity’s small fleet. Maintaining it and meeting London’s daily Congestion Charge is eating into financial resources that could be better invested elsewhere. If you or your company would care to consider sponsoring or donating a vehicle for the LRF to use, you know it would make a huge and positive difference.

Neuroblastoma is a rare and aggressive cancer affecting about 100 children in the UK each year. The Neuroblastoma Society, founded in 1982, raises funds for British research into the disease, while offering information and support for anyone affected by it.

The organisation is supporting a project under the direction of Prof Nazneen Rahman at the Royal Marsden Hospital which aims to identify the genes which make someone susceptible to neuroblastoma. A key component of the research project is the use of Affymetrix array chips, which are used in the computerised analysis of the thousands of genes found within DNA.

WOMAC has agreed to fund sufficient Affymetrix array chips for one year of research, at a cost of £5,000.

Again, anything you or your organisation can do to support the Neuroblastoma Society will be greatly appreciated by WOMAC and the charity itself. Find out more at www.nsoc.co.uk and see what you can do to help.