Best of CASE Europe Region Award
 

Institution: University of Cambridge

Title of entry: Journeys of Discovery: Steve Jackson

About this entry: In Steve Jackson’s “Journey of Discovery” multimedia storytelling is used to describe how one man’s fundamental curiosity – and a determination to make his life’s work count – led to his discovery of the drug Olaparib, which has been used to treat over 140,000 patients globally, changing the outlook for people with breast, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

Told in Steve’s voice, the article and film describe the 25-year progress from starting out, through times of self-reflection and Eureka moments, to first meeting a patient treated with the drug: “she said that I’d given her life back to her”.

The story highlights how our research is “changing the story of cancer”, as part of an institution-wide strategic campaign to support the development of a new cancer hospital, Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH). To underpin the message of life-changing impact, it was crucial to include the voices of patients treated with Olaparib and the doctors who treated them. The story linked to a philanthropy page to support our cancer research and the hospital.

As of February 5, the article has 3k unique page reads and 44.5k social media impressions; the film has 125k impressions with 2.4k reactions. We targeted select audiences on social media, resulting in 22k views of the video clip. Promoting Steve’s story led to him being featured on BBC Radio highlighting Cambridge’s excellence in cancer research. The content formed part of our case for support for CCRH, helping ensure the venture was green lit after a review.