Based in Harrogate, YCRC is an independent regional charity and not a branch of any national cancer charity. However, the ground breaking research it funds has not only benefited cancer sufferers in Yorkshire, but all over the world, through new developments and treatments which have drawn attention from the world of research and the media. The Centre was purpose-built in a joint venture between YCRC and the then Hull Health Authority. Prize-winning research in very high resolution magnetic resonance imaging techniques and acquisition of breast biopsies has already brought about changes in the way cancer care is delivered within the major acute Trust hospitals in Hull. This developing technique had already been used to treat hundreds of patients with very good results.
Current work is centred on matching precisely the drug dose with light exposure for optimum results.
Pioneering research is also taking place at York University at the YCRC Cancer Research Unit. The effect of p53, a protein which acts to protect against toxic agents threatening the normal growth of cells and tissue, and which suppresses the development of cancer. It has been discovered that this protein ' flies apart' in response to DNA damage and the fragments' functions are being tested for their potential use as an anti-cancer therapy. The isolation and characterisation of the gene known as mts-1, which prevents the spread of tumours, should provide a clear and unambiguous diagnosis of patients who are at risk of developing prostate cancer. The proteins from this gene could be used to target cancer cells to make them 'commit suicide'.