Generous donations from alumni and friends of the University have enabled PhD student, Rosa Greasley, to undertake a pioneering clinical trial - looking into how exercise can have a positive impact on the quality of life, physical function and muscle mass of men with prostate cancer.

Rosa would like to extend her thanks to everyone who donated to the Hallam Fund and helped make the clinical trial possible. She said: "Clinical trials such as these are the first steps in finding new ways to combat cancer. Results so far are looking promising so there's a real possibility that this research could transform patient care for men with prostate cancer. This trial wouldn't have been possible without your help - you really are helping to change people's lives."

The study, which focuses on 50 men with end stage prostate cancer, launched in February this year. Rosa said: "All the men on board so far have been really keen to get involved in this research, they are not only determined to change themselves but also keen to be a part of something bigger."

Half of the men in the study will carry out up to three sessions of supervised exercise every week for 16 weeks, while the other half will act as the control and will be provided with information about the benefits of exercise for cancer patients but will have no supervised sessions.

Although the trial is still in the early stages, Rosa has already seen some impressive results: "One guy in particular has made extraordinary progress in just a few weeks. At first he struggled to do a squat, so we initially used a chair and he even had to assist himself by using his arms to push himself off the chair. After four weeks he's gone from having such limited mobility to doing body weight squats with no assistance. He's also sleeping better, waking up feeling refreshed and his diet has improved. His self-esteem has also been boosted because he's consistently smashing the goals we set him each week. It's been incredible to see what a difference it’s made."

Your donation to the Hallam Fund is having a huge impact by supporting our student and research community, if you would like to find out more please visit our transformational research pages.