The Open University

International project aims to cut cancer deaths in East Africa

24 July 2018

A cross-continent health project is now aiming to address an emerging health crisis in East Africa, by creating lower-cost care for cancer patients. Led by The Open University, it brings together researchers in India, the UK and Africa and has been awarded nearly £700,000 from the Economic and Social Research Council. Dr Mercy Njeru, from […]

Medical Detection Dogs at Buckingham Palace

Scientist, and dogs who “sniff for cancer”, meet Her Majesty The Queen

8 June 2018

A group of incredible dogs who detect cancer cells in biological samples accompanied one of the leading animal-computer interaction scientists to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Head of The Open University Animal-Computer Interaction Lab and Senior Lecturer in Computing and Communications, Dr Clara Mancini, was invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the […]

Needs of children with seriously ill parents are being neglected, says OU report

28 March 2018

Lucy is 16, and her Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago. Although she’s got older siblings she is the only child living at home and has ended up taking on some caring responsibilities to help her Mum. The stress and upset of this family health crisis has caused Lucy to suffer with […]

Meet the OU academics behind The Big C and Me TV series

3 June 2016

OU academics are often nominated to work as consultants on Open University TV and radio co-productions which align with their areas of professional expertise. But what does this mean? They’re nominated by their faculty to consult on co-productions and work closely with the programme makers throughout, advising on research topics, commenting on draft scripts, fact checking and providing […]

The Big C booklet produced by Open University academics to support BBC TV series The Big C and Me.

5 ways to make a difference to someone living with cancer

2 June 2016

Two and a half million people are living with cancer in Britain. But what is the impact on a patient once they receive the diagnosis and how do they, and their families and friends, cope with everything the disease then throws at them? The Big C and Me is a BBC/Open University co-production delving into […]

A comet, cancer and the space in between

26 May 2016

Space, it’s very out there. The exploration of the stars, galaxies and moons is all very exciting but it can seem a bit removed from our everyday lives. Things are different at The Open University, where space exploration is not done in isolation. Take the Rosetta Mission: This ground-breaking mission involved the OU creating the Ptolemy […]

Q&A: Does fertility treatment affect breast cancer risk?

13 April 2016

One in eight UK women get breast cancer at some point in their lives. A study out today explores whether there are links between fertility treatments and what can be seen on a breast screening mammogram, and hence possibly to breast cancer risks. The researchers used data from over 43,000 Swedish women who had had […]

David Bowie: A bio-obituary

12 January 2016

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring,” said the late David Bowie back in 1997. It’s a poignant statement given his death, aged 69, this week after an 18-month battle with cancer. And the OU’s Dr Frank Monaghan says it’s as applicable to his art as it […]