International Women’s Day

Lord Patel Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Patel (CB)]

Noble Baronesses, right reverend Prelate and Lords, it is a privilege to take part in a debate that marks International Women’s Day on my youngest, formidable granddaughter’s birthday and to listen to so many powerful speeches from noble Baronesses, not just the maiden speeches, which were all brilliant, but all noble Baronesses’ speeches. I might have been expected to speak about the need to improve women’s health in England, but the noble Baroness, Lady Sugg, is a better advocate than I could ever be, so I will tear up that bit of my speech and move on.

In an International Women’s Day debate in another year, I spoke of HeLa cells, so called because they are cancer cells obtained without consent from a young, Black, uneducated woman named Henrietta Lacks, who suffered from an aggressive form of cervical cancer. These cells are the first human immortal cells, and today, 70 years after the death of Henrietta Lacks, they still survive as cultures in laboratories all over the world. Research using these cells has resulted in many treatments, including the development of the human papillomavirus vaccine for cervical cancer, the use of which will, I hope, one day end women getting cervical cancer. Pharmaceutical companies have benefited hugely from treatments developed using HeLa cells, yet Henrietta Lacks’ family remain poor.

Today, I will speak briefly to celebrate the achievements of brilliant women scientists in the United Kingdom who are the driving force in finding cures for cancers, including cancers that affect women. I would have loved to name them all but time does not allow me, so I will mention only a few.

Dr Nguyen created an atomic-level model of the enzyme telomerase to better understand cancer cell immortality and drug development. Professor Fitzgerald developed a method for early and less invasive diagnosis of oesophageal cancer. Professor Plummer was the pioneer of PARP inhibitors, a class of cancer drugs that are now standard treatment for BRCA-related cancers such as breast and ovarian cancers. Professor Dive developed liquid biopsies of biomarkers for early detection and monitoring that will lead to early diagnosis of many cancers. Professor Bryant worked on drug development to kill cancer cells. Professor Thistlethwaite developed CAR T-cell immunotherapy, a successful treatment for certain rare cancers. Professor Seligmann conducted research to make chemotherapy safer. Professor Beral carried out a study of 1 million women on cancer risks for women. Dr Jamal-Hanjani progressed the understanding of cancer cell survival in advanced cancers and of finding treatments. There are others, such as Dr Kitson, Professor Balkwill—regarded as one of the finest women scientists in the world—and Professor Psaila working on cancers that primarily affect women.

The UK has huge strength in life sciences research, not just in cancer research, and is strongly driven by brilliant women scientists. UK women scientists are ranked second only to those in the USA, with many featuring in the top 1% of highly cited academics. For only the second time in history, the 2026 Blavatnik awards were awarded to three young women scientists: Dr Nguyen, Dr Roessler, and Dr Pinilla.

More girls now taking up STEM subjects bodes well for the future of UK science. Some 57% of PhD students in CRUK institutes are women; at the same time, only 29% reach group leader positions. That needs to change

I have been privileged to be trusted by thousands of women to look after them during their pregnancies, for some at a very anxious time. If it were not for that, I would not be here.