Generous donation helps in quest for safe cancer treatments

David Pratt, accompanied by other representatives of the West Riding Masonic Charities, will visit the University on Tuesday 11 September to meet with the Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, Richard Morgan and receive a tour of the department.

The £30,500 from the Provincial Grand Master’s Fund has enabled the University to purchase a new cell sorting machine which will help facilitate research at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT) in the emerging and complex field of immunotherapy.

Richard Morgan, Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Bradford said: “This new cell sorting machine has the capacity to identify individual cells and is crucial for studying tumour biology as tumours are complex tissues that contain not just cancer cells but also normal adult cells, including cells of the immune system. This new machine will help us address key issues such as the role of the immune system in blocking the growth of cancer, and how therapy might enhance this.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous donation which will help us to continue our important work in the discovery of safe and effective cancer treatments.”

David S Pratt, the Provincial Grand Master of the Freemasons Province Yorkshire West Riding, said: “We are very much looking forward to visiting the University of Bradford and seeing the machine funded by our members in situ.

“There is no family in the country that has not been affected by cancer, and we hope the new cell sorting machine will help the university’s research team in their pioneering studies being undertaken here, in Bradford, which sits at heart of the Yorkshire region.”

Also attending the visit will be Professor Bill McCarthy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Operations) at the University.