Running the Red Bull Soapbox gauntlet to promote life-saving research
Speeding down a hill, over ramps and past obstacles, on a giant, cardboard pipette – all in the name of research.
A team of researchers from Southampton will be taking part in the famous Red Bull Soapbox race in London this weekend to highlight the incredible work being carried out at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, the University of Southampton Centre for Cancer Immunology and University Hospital Southampton.
‘Statistically Significant’ is a team of four friends, all united by their passion for clinical research, education and a slightly madcap sense of adventure.
The Red Bull Soapbox race sees teams ride a homemade, gravity-powered cart down a hill while being judged on their speed, creativity of the cart design, and showmanship of their entrance and race attempt. And of course, with jumps, haybales and corners, there’s plenty of opportunity for hilarious spills and cart malfunctions.
“We have designed our cart to look like a giant scientific pipette,” says pilot Pedro Rodrigues who works as a Senior Trial Manager at the Cancer Research UK Southampton Clinical Trials Unit which designs and conducts trials that help bring new, better treatments to patients. “We wanted to promote the research much of the team are involved in, take the science out of the lab and show people that research doesn’t just live in scientific journals but that we are racing forward to accelerate progress!”
Co-pilot Steve Booth is a laboratory manager at the University of Southampton Centre for Cancer Immunology where scientists are conducting world-leading research into how the body’s own immune system can be used to detect, fight and beat cancer.
“Getting involved in the Red Bull Soapbox race has been great fun so far, designing and building our cart,” says Steve.
“But behind the silly costumes and crazy pipette theme there is a serious message – that research is helping to further our understanding of diseases like cancer, dementia and heart disease that blight many people’s lives and bring new treatments and better diagnostic tools to patients.”
Pedro and Steve are supported by their pit team; Ines Rodrigues is a Senior Dementia Research Nurse at University Hospital Southampton helping people to take part in pioneering dementia studies. And Anne Booth is a year 6 teacher with a passion for education, particularly getting youngsters excited and passionate about science.
“As well as promoting all the research and education the team is involved in, we are raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society who fund my position and much of the research I am involved in,” says Ines. “I see first-hand how dementia affects not only the people diagnosed with the disease, but also their families, friends and everyone around them. The more we can do to promote and fund all types of research, the better. And if that means getting Pedro and Steve to hurl themselves down a hill in race suits, then so be it!”
The team brought their cart to the Centre for Cancer Immunology this week so that colleagues from the laboratories, the Clinical Trials Unit and the hospital could sign the cart and wish the team luck.
“The cart is essentially made out of a small chassis and a lot of cardboard!” says Pedro, “It’s possibly not the most rigid of vehicles but we are hoping the good luck messages from our teams will help power us down the hill in one piece and see the Statistically Significant pipette crossing the finish line in a top time.”
The Red Bull Soapbox Race takes place at Alexandra Palace in London on Saturday 20th June. You can watch the event and support the Statistically Significant team on the official Red Bull TV website.
You can follow Statistically Significant’s Red Bull Soapbox Race journey on their Instagram channel - https://www.instagram.com/pipettemobile/
And you can donate to the team’s fundraising via their Just Giving page