• We fund research into cancer and other crippling diseases at universities, research institutions and hospitals throughout the country

• Our specialism is the spread of cancer, which is the cause of two thirds of all cancer deaths

• We have recently made a significant discovery in the fight against cancer: a family of genes that is responsible for its spread

• The next step is to develop drugs to control these genes so that we can stop cancer spreading and save lives

• Our own Cancer and Polio Research Fund Laboratories are now recognised as world leaders in this area

• We are one of the few charities, if not the only one, supporting research into the long-term after-effects of polio, which affect some 40,000 people in the UK

• Our aim is to understand the condition better so that we can improve the quality of sufferers' lives