Professor Alan Parker, Cardiff University, is researching pancreatic cancer - a cancer with typically very poor prognosis - and creating ‘smart viruses’ to destroy cancer cells and help the immune system ‘see’ tumours.

"I lost my mother to cancer when she was just 50 and I was 17. There’s no doubt that this was pivotal in defining my career ambitions. Her initial breast cancer diagnosis came 10 years prior, so without those medicines developed at the time, she wouldn’t have seen her kids grow up. I’m very grateful the drugs gave me more time to get to know her. Since then, I have always wanted to try and do my bit and hope that one day what we develop might help keep loved ones together for longer.

It means so much to me and my team that people are kind enough to leave a gift in their Will to Cancer Research Wales. Gifts like these will make a huge difference in helping more people survive cancer."