Jennifer Jones

My name is Jennifer Jones and I joined the Wales Cancer Bank in Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, on the re-start of the collection in June this year after 28 years of nursing. I am Welsh speaking and love living in this area. Rural as it is, I have been fortunate to have a background in NHS clinical research. Firstly as Clinical Trials Nurse in respiratory research 1992. In 1996 became the first Oncology Research Nurse with Prof Nick Stuart, and have seen the department grow over the years. I obtained the Certificate in Clinical Research, Liverpool University 1999. For the past 6 years I worked as Lung Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialist for the local NHS Trust.

I have seen enormous improvements in treatments for cancer. Patients appreciate the dedication others have given in the past to progress cancer treatments. This is reflected in their readiness to donate blood and tissue during a very stressful time in their lives.

I am pleased to see that many of the new drugs used in clinical trials and research projects are given as routine today. Things never stay still and much work continues in the further targeting of cancer treatments. Researchers need access to high quality biomedical samples and it takes a great deal of time and commitment to build up a Bank fit for future requests and developments.

I am pleased to be involved in this worthwhile and exciting project.

Alexander Makanga

My name is Alexander Makanga I started my biomedical science career at Royal Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield then after a while I left Sheffield to go back to university.  I applied for a biomedical scientist post at Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast where I worked in neuropathology. In this department we worked closely with Neurology ward to helped in the diagnosis of brain diseases, mainly brain tumours.

Since June 2009 I have been working for the NHS and Wales Cancer Bank, based at Ysbyty Gwynedd Hospital, Bangor.