June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund

The June Hancock Mesothelioma Research Fund, the UK's pioneering independent charity honoring a patient's landmark advocacy for justice against asbestos negligence, drives its mission to advance scientific understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and care for mesothelioma, alleviating suffering from this asbestos-linked cancer. Core values of dignity, equity in patient outcomes, and evidence-based progress guide its philosophy, prioritizing peer-reviewed research that translates laboratory discoveries into clinical benefits, builds research capacity through fellowships, and empowers mesothelioma specialists via collaborative networks, believing systemic change arises from rigorous science, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing to enhance survival and quality of life for affected individuals.

Exclusively funding mesothelioma-focused initiatives, it supports laboratory research probing disease mechanisms and asbestos causation, clinical trials for innovative diagnostics and therapies including radiotherapy and pain management, epidemiological studies on occupational exposure risks, applied health projects improving patient care delivery and support services, pump-priming feasibility studies accelerating breakthroughs, PhD training fellowships nurturing early-career oncology and respiratory researchers, and travel grants fostering international knowledge exchange on mesothelioma progression and holistic care. Beneficiaries encompass mesothelioma patients experiencing respiratory distress, pain, and treatment challenges, alongside families navigating caregiving burdens, with interventions emphasizing person-centered care models, preventative diagnostics, trauma-informed support for asbestos victims, and community-building among occupational health specialists to drive tangible improvements in survival rates, symptom relief, and end-of-life dignity.

It excludes general cancer research, non-mesothelioma conditions, core organizational costs, or unrestricted support, rejecting broad health or palliative care without singular asbestos-mesothelioma focus. Distinctive for its patient advocacy heritage, unwavering disease specificity, openness to diverse methodologies from early pilots to major projects, and catalytic role in mesothelioma research ecosystems, it prioritizes UK-led teams with EU collaborations serving patients in oncology, respiratory, and occupational health contexts, valuing lived experience in trusteeship, strict peer review, and policy influence for awareness and service standards.