Our Research Involvement Network is a group of people who each have a personal connection to pancreatic cancer, including patients, carers, loved ones and survivors.
They help shape Pancreatic Cancer UK’s work and the work of researchers by getting involved in a variety of different opportunities ranging from commenting on lay summaries before funding applications are submitted, reviewing applications, attending focus groups, reviewing patient information sheets and sitting on committees for different clinical trials.
The group has a diverse range of views and experiences and their insight helps to ensure that only the highest quality research is being conducted.
By involving people affected by pancreatic cancer at all stages of the research process, we’re able to increase our understanding of pancreatic cancer and ensure that the research being conducted is relevant to the needs of people affected by pancreatic cancer.
This means moving beyond thinking of patients as participants in a study, but as partners in setting research priorities, selecting the research that should be funded and guiding researchers with their work. No research background is required to be a member of the Network.
Through monthly bulletins, we keep the network up to date on the latest research involvement opportunities, events and news.
Members can choose how, when and to what extent they want to contribute and can be involved as much or as little as they like.
I can't tell you how much this is helping me. It's now been 8 years since losing my sister Lorraine, and the experience was so devastating it is still raw. If we (I'm including Lorraine here) can help others affected by pancreatic cancer then it wasn't all for nothing.
If you’re looking to join the Research Involvement Network, please fill in the application form below. You can also contact us via research@pancreaticcancer.org.uk.
If you’re a researcher and would like to find out how you can involve people affected by pancreatic cancer in your research, please visit our lay involvement page
Dr Samir Patak from the University of Leeds is applying for a Pancreatic Cancer UK Research Innovation Fund. He is looking for feedback to enhance the clarity and effectiveness of his research project which aims to copy other cancer types by evaluating metastatic spread in pancreatic cancer as a distinct diagnosis where treatments, other than chemotherapy alone, may improve patient survival.
Dr Sara Caxaria from Queen Mary University of London is applying for fellowships to investigate the link between nerves, pain and the microenvironment in pancreatic cancer. She wants to undertake a focus group with people affected by pancreatic cancer to get your input on the relevance of her project and any suggestion that to improve its design.
Dr Rute Ferreira from the The Francis Crick Institute is applying for fellowships including a Pancreatic Cancer UK Career Foundation Fellowship grant. She is looking for feedback on her project investigating how nerves maintain tissue integrity at the cost of cancer risk.
Dr Nigel Jamieson and Dr Mari-Claire McGuigan are from the University of Glasgow and submitting a grant application that they would like your feedback on. They want to ask the question “can we study diagnostic biopsies to better understand patients’ response to chemotherapy given before surgery, to decide which chemotherapy will work best for each patient?”
Dr Patrick Kierkegaard, Dr Shayan Bahadori and Dr Bowen Su from Imperial College London and the Institute of Cancer Research are developing a toolkit to help GP surgeries get ready to use new pancreatic cancer tests. They would like you to give your input to ensure the toolkit is practical and effective and share your experiences and thoughts through interviews and focus groups.
