Team Blitz India
AGROUP of cancer experts from around the world have appealed to wealthy individuals and philanthropists to contribute for a new golden age of cancer research. “Fuelled by advancements in AI and technology – the next decade presents a unique opportunity to beat the disease. That is why we’ve come together to ask you to help accelerate a new golden age of cancer research,” they have urged in a ‘Letter to the World’.
Signed by 54 scientists – including three Nobel laureates – from the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia, the letter says that cancer is a ‘defining health issue of our time’ that requires a united and collective worldwide response on par with Covid-19.
“The threat posed by crises such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic have required a massive global response. The threat posed by cancer is no different,” the experts noted. Globally, 18 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year, they reminded, and that 10 million die from the disease.
“Alarmingly, by 2040 – just 17 years from now – the number of cancer diagnoses is set to increase by over 55 per cent. This represents an untold amount of pain and suffering to families across the world. Your help can change that,” they write in an ardent appeal. Many cancers can be prevented, and even more could be overcome if detected early and treated effectively, the coalition reminds.
Informing about the appeal, Cancer Research UK announced on February 22, that it has “joined forces with the coalition of the world’s most renowned voices in the research community to call on high-value donors and philanthropists to help tackle the disease”.
