About WCA

Tanya Knott has worked in the healthcare industry for over 25 years. A King’s College London and Trinity College Dublin graduate, Tanya has worked as a registered general nurse specialising in cardiothoracic, intensive care and emergency nursing. Tanya also has years of experience in market access in the pharmaceutical industry. When Sarah was diagnosed with Cancer of Unknown Primary (2015), Tanya realised there was a huge gap in knowledge and research in this disease area and set up the foundation with the aim of promoting improved awareness, research and education into Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP). Tanya is also the co-founder of the WCA, World CUP Alliance (Cancer of Unknown Primary) www.worldcupalliance.org
Working together with global experts, patients, health care professionals, researchers and industry to promote education, awareness and research into CUP. The WCA are proud members of WECAN (Working European Cancer Advocacy Network) Tanya has written published articles and a white paper on the ‘Unmet needs of patients with Cancer of Unknown Primary” and has presented at many international conferences. Tanya is a former board member of ‘From Testing to Targeted Treatments’. FT3 is a global initiative to help ensure access to precision medicine for all patients who need it www.fromtestingtotargetedtreatments.org; she is also a member of the PPI and the national molecular tumour board steering committee at Cancer Trials Ireland.

Warnyta Minnaard (1989) is one of the founders of ‘Missie Tumor Onbekend’, the Dutch advocacy organisation dedicated to improving care & survival for Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) patients. After her partner Hederik passed away in early 2019 amidst an ongoing diagnostic trajectory with leptomenigial metastases from a CUP; Warnyta started on a mission to change the situation for future patients. Together with another grieving family of a young CUP patient, they started the advocacy organisation. It’s her personal mission to expedite access to better personalised (molecular) diagnostics, improve knowledge and awareness of CUP, and enhance the care pathways and support opportunities for patients and their families. One of the biggest milestones to date has been Missie Tumor Onbekend pivotal role in obtaining Dutch Parliamentary approval in 2021 so that Whole Genome Sequencing became part of the insured diagnostic routine work-up for CUP patients in the Netherlands. Ever since 8 specialised CUP clinics have opened across the country.

Sara Santarelli is an Italian architect and visual designer, living in Ireland. She’s the founder and head designer of SNDE VISUAL Design & Communication. Expert in branding and communication strategy, Sara has been working alongside Tanya since the set up of the Sarah Jennifer Knott Foundation in 2016. Leading the comms team (publications, web design, social media), Sara has been involved in various projects with the foundation ever since, including World CUP Awareness Week 2021 & 2022. She’s been part of the core team of the World CUP Alliance (Cancer of Unknown Primary) since its foundation and recently graduated from the Wecan Academy (Working European Cancer Advocacy Network).