Garfield Weston Foundation awards £1 million to support TRANSFORM

The Garfield Weston Foundation has awarded a £1 million donation to support TRANSFORM – and become a Founding Partner in our landmark research trial.

As the most ambitious prostate cancer screening trial for 20 years, TRANSFORM will test several different methods to help us find the best way to screen men for the disease.

The £42 million trial will pave the way to a national screening programme that could save thousands of men’s lives every year.

‘This trial has the potential to change the landscape for men’

“We’re absolutely thrilled that the Garfield Weston Foundation has become a Founding Partner of TRANSFORM through their £1 million donation,” said Laura Kerby, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK.

“This trial has the potential to change the landscape for men at risk of prostate cancer in the UK – and globally – for generations to come. We’re honoured to be partnering with the Garfield Weston Foundation to make this a reality.”

One of the UK’s largest charitable trusts, the Garfield Weston Foundation was founded by the Weston family in 1958. It awards funding to support a wide range of charities nationwide and donates around £100 million in total each year.

Sophia Weston, Deputy Chair and Trustee at the Garfield Weston Foundation, added: “The trustees are delighted to be collaborating with Prostate Cancer UK on this vital trial, bringing us closer to nationwide screening for prostate cancer.”

When will the TRANSFORM trial start?

Led by world-leading researchers, TRANSFORM is designed to provide the definitive evidence we need to get to a national screening programme in the UK.

The six lead researchers – Professor Hashim Ahmed, Professor Ros Eeles, Professor Mark Emberton, Professor Rhian Gabe, Professor Rakesh Heer and Professor Caroline Moore – represent four of the UK’s biggest research centres and will work alongside 16 co-applicants from across the country.

The first stage of TRANSFORM will involve around 12,500 men and compare four potential screening options, including PSA blood testing, fast MRI scans and genetic testing to identify men at high risk of prostate cancer. This will take around three years, after which there will be significant new evidence.

In the second stage, the researchers will test the most promising option – or options – to see how well the screening method detects cancer and reduces harms to men. This will include up to 300,000 men and take around six years, with the men followed up for at least 10 years to see the longer-term impact of screening.

Men will start to be invited to take part in the TRANSFORM trial in spring 2025.

Alongside the Garfield Weston Foundation, TRANSFORM’s other Founding Partners are the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Movember, Omaze, Paddy Power and the Freddie Green and Family Charitable Foundation.

Where can I find out more about TRANSFORM?

You can visit the research area on our website to read more about the TRANSFORM trial and stay up to date with the latest developments.