Update CLT

Update on the Chris Lucas Trust

Lynn Lucas

Founder, Chris Lucas Trust

[Editor's Note: This is another article in our ongoing "An Update on" series. These articles are intended to bring awareness to the sarcoma community of the goals, activities, and resources of various sarcoma advocacy organizations.]

The Chris Lucas Trust was established in 2000 shortly after the death our son Christopher.

Funding Research

The Chris Lucas Trust is a national charity based in the United Kingdom solely for fundraising to continue the vital work of a senior post doctoral scientist. This research is focused exclusively on Rhabdomyosarcoma. The Trust has exclusively funded this position since 2005. The position is based at the Royal Marsden Hospital, London, Institute of Cancer Research, Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer. The funding is over £210,000 for three years (about $368,000), It is so expensive but unfortunately these are the costs of modern molecular medicine".

The Chris Lucas Trust's senior post-doctoral scientist is working on the molecular characterization of rhabdomyosarcoma using 'microarray' profiling which tests thousands of genes simultaneously. Genes produce “messages” which are usually converted in molecules that perform specific tasks inside the cells that make up our body. Genes may produce too much, too little or even wrong “messages”, that can lead a cell to become cancerous. We are using techniques that measure the levels of these “messages” from thousands of different genes and also molecules called microRNAs which modify the levels of these “messages” in cells. We have made great progress in screening samples of rhabdomyosarcomas for these changes in collaboration with other experts in the field. The preliminary analysis of this research has already identified genes for further investigation and we have prepared a scientific manuscript that will report our findings. Further genes will be identified and experiments will determine the role these play in the development of rhabdomyosarcomas. These may represent molecular targets specific to the tumours and lead to novel therapeutic treatments for children with rhabdomyosarcoma. We are leading in the area of testing existing and new drugs for activity against rhabdomyosarcoma.

Free Counselling Service

The Chris Lucas Trust offers a unique free, web-based service for rhabdomyosarcoma sufferers and parents, web-based services. Online counselling is a rapidly growing means of communicating with professionals, worldwide, via the Internet by means of “Live” chat or email. We are attempting to increase understanding of the difficulties faced by those families suffering through the effects of this particular type of cancer and related situations, problems, and to express the views of its sufferers to relevant agencies to help improve their day to day lives.

Events

Since 2000 Christopher’s friends and family, and everyone nationally taking part in our very successful events. The Great North Bike Ride, our biggest fundraising event, this has grown over the past eight years to keep the vital work of our researcher in post. Chris Lucas Trust says "the costs of doing these types of research is expensive, as is the amount needed to keep a scientist working at the bench using modern molecular techniques. We desperately need vital donations to ensure the continuous work of our Senior Researcher".

For further information please visit our website or e-mail Lynn Lucas.