You, Me and Us

Neuroblastoma is a rare and complex childhood cancer of the nervous system where developing cells take the wrong path and begin dividing uncontrollably.

Despite accounting for almost one in six paediatric cancer deaths, available treatments are challenging and aggressive, and better therapies are needed.

Research in Professor Anna Philpott’s laboratory at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute focuses on the intersection of stem cell and cancer biology, where development goes awry and cancers develop.

Postdoctoral researcher Dr Kirsty Ferguson developed new patient engagement approaches while studying findings that suggest an existing adult cancer drug could be repurposed to benefit children with neuroblastoma - vital research funded by Cancer Research UK.

The team have proposed combining retinoic acid with palbociclib as a novel treatment, to stop cell division and lead those cells back down their normal developmental pathway; a kinder alternative to therapies that rely on killing cancerous cells.

Sharing lived and professional experience

Kirsty identified that efforts in the lab often feel disconnected from human experiences and established You, Me and Us - a collaborative project to explore diverse personal and professional experiences of neuroblastoma.

She worked with Reverend Phil Sharkey, a Chaplain at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to deliver online poetry workshops with support from charity partners Solving Kids' Cancer UK and Neuroblastoma UK.

Hope, in time

In 2024, Kirsty and Phil hosted creative writing workshops to bring together clinicians, scientists, hospital chaplaincy, charity professionals, patients, parents and families. The group wrote a collection of poems with the power to form bonds, communicate their stories, and amplify the voices of those who live with, study and treat challenging conditions.

Their published anthology - now available in print and downloadable as a free PDF - is titled 'Hope, in time' and inspired by the collaborative poem written by the the group at the end of their project.

You can request alternative formats, including a printed copy by post, by emailing engage@stemcells.cam.ac.uk.

A place of possibility

Alongside the project, Kirsty has penned a poem about our Institute using words of colleagues and peers - you can now download 'A place of possibility' as a PDF.