Beaufort Society
Annual Meeting 2024

The Master of St John’s College, Heather Hancock, and President of the Beaufort Society, the Lord Browne of Madingley, are delighted to invite you to this year’s Annual Meeting on Saturday 12 October. We are delighted to thank you personally for your unwavering commitment to St John’s, and this event is intended to acknowledge your kind support.

Programme

12pm–1pm: Drinks on arrival in the Central Hall, Old Divinity School. Welcome note from the Master, Heather Hancock (1984).

1pm–3pm: Lunch in Hall.

3.30pm–4.30pm: Afternoon lecture with Professor Richard Gilbertson in the Old Divinity School.

WILL WE EVER CURE CANCER?

Professor Richard J Gilbertson FRS FMedSci FRCP EMBO
Li Ka Shing Chair of Oncology, Head of University Department of Oncology, Director, CRUK Cambridge Centre, University of Cambridge

Cancers are distributed unevenly across the body, but the precise factors that determine where and when cancer forms remain a mystery. Over the last 30 years Professor Gilbertson’s laboratory has used various approaches to map the origin of cancer, including different types of tumours that arise in children and adults. These studies have revealed that tumours arise from matched combinations of susceptible stem cells and genetic mutations, and that stem cells in children are intrinsically resistant to cancer, providing an explanation why only 1 in 600 children develop cancer, while 1 in 2 adults develop the disease. Most recently we have shown that metastasis, the process by which tumours leave the primary site and spread around the body, is a normal process that is hijacked in cancer. This discovery unmasks new ways to prevent cancer from spreading and provides a potential mechanism that can be harnessed to repair failing organs.

4.45pm–5.45pm: Afternoon tea in the Master’s Lodge.

6.30pm-7.30pm: Evensong in the Chapel.

Please use the form below to RSVP for the event, or contact Emma Talibudeen via email at beaufortsociety@joh.cam.ac.uk, or phone on 01223 338605.