Prostate Cancer chose a determined opponent in the late Sir Clive Bourne, a highly successful businessman.

On contracting the disease in 1991 at the age of 49, and undergoing a course of intensive treatment that stabilised his condition, he decided to investigate every aspect and avenue of the condition available to the layman.

Our late founder, Sir Clive Bourne

It came as a shock for him to learn that there was no organised research on either a national or international level and, impatient that such a state of affairs should exist, he set about putting the matter to rights.

Convinced that only systematic research could provide solutions, his strategy to beat the disease was to start the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation (known then as the Prostate Cancer Charitable Trust).

The first step was to forge connections with the world's foremost scientists and clinicians in the field and then link them together.

After substantial conversations with his oncologist, Dr Peter Wrigley, they agreed that available medical knowledge was full of gaps and a lot of work had to be done to accelerate research.

They felt the best way to do this was via an international Forum, and the first Forum took place in Cambridge in 1994 and was co-ordinated by Sir Clive, Dr Peter Wrigley, Prof Tim Oliver and Sir Walter Bodmer.   The event was so successful that Sir Clive pledged to continue these vital meetings every other year so that collaboration could be encouraged and more research and knowledge shared on all aspects of prostate cancer.

Following these first few meetings Sir Clive recognised a further need of funding for prostate cancer research, and with a private donor in 1998 funded Dr Ros Eeles at the Institute of Cancer Research.  This research programme was opened up to fully competitive worldwide support in 2003.

Sir Clive continued to be a driving force in the prostate cancer research field until his death in 2007.  The Prostate Cancer Research Foundation continues his work and aims to be able to fund more vital research so that prostate cancer can be better understood, more effective tests are discovered and better treatments found.