| Dear Voornaam, Welcome to your April newsletter. This month, I'm pleased to share the five new paediatric research projects we're co-funding with Children with Cancer UK. In our latest Research Feature, Professor Christine Harrison, who will be leading one of the awarded teams at Newcastle University, talks about their research which aims to understand the cause of aneuploidies in children's and young people's cancers.
Following last month’s report on the diversity in our grant funding, I spoke to Nature, alongside Dr Sophie Acton and Dr Lynn Asante-Asare about what the data tells us and what we are doing to create a more equal, diverse and inclusive research environment. I welcome your thoughts on how we address this issue.
Finally, applications for Cancer Grand Challenges will close on 22 April. These awards challenge the world’s brightest scientists to come together, think differently and take on some of cancer’s most complex challenges.
Kind regards, Iain Foulkes Executive Director, Research & Innovation Cancer Research UK |
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| | | ESTABLISHED INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER, CLINICIAN 05 May 2021 |
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| | | Applications accepted all-year round |
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NEW RESEARCH EXPLORES ANEUPLOIDY IN CHILDREN’S AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S CANCERS We’ve joined forces with Children with Cancer UK to co-fund five new research projects of up to £1m each, which aim to transform our understanding of children’s and young people’s cancers. Professor Christine Harrison (Newcastle University) will be leading one of the awarded teams alongside collaborators – molecular cell biologist Professor Jonathan Higgins, and paediatric oncologist Professor Steve Clifford. They want to understand how aneuploidy gives rise to some paediatric cancers by searching for predisposing genomic links to chromosomal mis-segregation, and examining what effect they have on cell division in vitro. |
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| PLACENTA IS A DUMPING GROUND FOR GENETIC DEFECTS In the first study of the genomic architecture of the human placenta, scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Cambridge and their collaborators have shown that the placenta’s genomic landscape resembles that of a tumour, harbouring many of the same genetic mutations found in childhood cancers such as neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. Published in Nature, the study found evidence to support the theory of the placenta as a ‘dumping ground’ for genetic defects, whereas the foetus corrects or avoids these errors. The findings provide a clear rationale for studying the association between genetic aberrations and birth outcomes, in order to better understand problems such as premature birth and stillbirth. |
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| | BUILDING A LIVING BIOBANK In the search for new treatments for high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, a Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-funded team at the University of Manchester built a living biobank. Developing new, effective treatments requires clinical models that closely reflect the conditions of ovarian cancer in vivo. As cell lines have limitations, the promise of a model system that more accurately reflects the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of ovarian cancer cells spurred Professor Stephen Taylor and his lab to turn to primary cancer cells. In a recent article, we spoke with Stephen and postdoc Dr Louisa Nelson, who played a crucial role in developing the culture conditions. They share the story behind their 5-year journey to yield a living biobank of ovarian cancer cells. |
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JOIN A COMMUNITY OF GLOBAL SCIENTISTS DARING TO THINK DIFFERENTLY Could you solve the most complex challenges in cancer research? Cancer Grand Challenges is looking for teams to tackle the following nine challenges: cachexia, inflammation, dormancy, macromolecules, senescence, ecDNA, solid tumours in children, e-cigarettes and normal phenotypes. Through a series of £20m (c.$25m) awards, Cancer Grand Challenges is giving teams the freedom to come together, think big and innovate at pace.
Shortlisted teams will be announced in June – each will receive seed funding of up to £30,000 (c.$40,000) to get their ideas off the ground and make their full proposal. Applications close on 22 April. |
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| PREDICTING THE RISK OF FUTURE INVASIVE CANCER New findings from the Cancer Grand Challenges PRECISION team suggest that adipocyte size and COX2 expression could help to identify which people with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are at high-risk of developing invasive breast cancer in the future. Two key factors were identified as driving the progression of DCIS to breast cancer: the size of the adipocytes surrounding the DCIS lesion and the expression of the COX2 protein. The study could help thousands of women worldwide avoid unnecessary treatment, improving their quality of life. |
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| | TRANSLATE YOUR TECH-LED INNOVATIONS FOR PATIENT BENEFIT Do you have an early-stage technology focused on advancing the early detection, diagnosis, monitoring or treatment of cancer? The Cancer Tech Accelerator, formed in partnership with Capital Enterprise and Roche UK, is our new entrepreneurial programme designed to equip you with the entrepreneurial and technical skills required to translate your innovations into a start-up in diagnostics, MedTech or AI. Through our programme, you’ll attend a virtual bootcamp and three months of training to enable you to build, run and scale a successful health-tech business. The five best ideas will then receive up to £50,000 of non-dilutive grant funding, six months of tailored mentoring and extra business support, before we help you form an investor-ready start-up. |
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NOTIFY US OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSIONS Have you recently submitted a CRUK-funded paper for publication? If so, we'd love to hear about it. Knowledge of work funded by us helps inform all our communications and provides our supporters with the opportunity to learn about the amazing work that their donations help fund. Complete the following form to let us know about your pending publications. All information provided will be treated as strictly confidential and won’t be used without consulting you first. |
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| WOMEN OF INFLUENCE MENTOR SETS SCIENTISTS UP FOR SUCCESS Our Women of Influence programme pairs CRUK-funded female scientists with leading businesswomen to provide early career mentorship. To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, we spoke to a mentor (Alice Choi, McCann Health Medical Communications’ chief operating officer) and two of her mentees (Evropi Theodoratou and Katrin Ottersbach, both based at Edinburgh University) about their experiences of being involved. |
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THE EARLY DETECTION OF CANCER CONFERENCE: 6–8 OCTOBER Professor Andrew Flewitt, Professor Beverly Emerson, and Dr Alice Fan are confirmed as this year's Scientific Programme Committee. This year's programme is guaranteed to be packed with engaging discussions on topics including 'models and systems for early detection' and 'when and where detection matters'. We'll also see the return of our successful ‘Great Debates’ as our speakers go head-to-head to debate provocative early detection challenges. Download last year's conference report to a get a flavour for what you can expect. Don’t forget to register your interest to be notified as soon as registration opens. |
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| AACR VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING 2021 The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting is back this year on 10-15 April and 17-21 May. The programme covers the latest discoveries across the field of cancer research, highlighting the work of the best minds in research and medicine from institutions all over the world.
Alongside Professor Charlie Swanton as this year's programme committee chair, a number of our funded researchers will be presenting their work at the event, including: Sergio Quezada, Richard Marais, Caroline Dive, Owen Sansom, Rob Bristow, Greg Hannon, Ruth Plummer, Karen Vousden, Serena Nik-Zainal and Andrew Biankin. |
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FGC ACCEPTING CRISPR SCREENING PROJECT PROPOSALS The Functional Genomics Centre (FGC) provides PIs in the CRUK network access to genome-wide pooled CRISPR screening capabilities for their projects. For PIs based at our CRUK centres and institutes, FGC is now accepting funding from non-CRUK grants to support FGC access. If your research could benefit from state-of-the art CRISPR technology, we’d love to work with you to progress your project. We review and accept proposals on a rolling basis every two months, and the next deadline is 15 April. Get in touch via email ([email protected]) to find out how we can support you, or visit our webpage to learn more.
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| THE FUTURE OF FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS WEBINAR The Functional Genomics Centre (FGC) is hosting a webinar on key trends in functional genomics and how we can expect these to accelerate progress in cancer research. Join us on 11 May at 1-3pm, for an exciting speaker line-up, including: Mathew Garnett (Wellcome Sanger Institute) and Tyson Sharp (CRUK Barts Centre). At the webinar you can also hear from researchers who have used FGC’s genome-wide CRISPR screening capabilities for their research and find out how you can access these for your own projects. |
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| | CRICK CAREER OPPORTUNITY FOR CLINICIANS Are you a talented, motivated postdoctoral clinical fellow? Looking to take the next step in your academic medicine career? The Francis Crick Institute is currently inviting applications for its postdoctoral career development fellowships for clinicians. The fellowships provide funding for one year full-time or two years part-time postdoctoral research experience for clinicians in a Crick research group. Application deadline: 30 April 2021 |
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EXCELLENCE IN CANCER RESEARCH NURSING AWARD: NOMINATIONS OPEN Over the last year, clinical research nurses have shown innovation, perseverance and unwavering commitment to delivering vital cancer research and patient care, all while responding to the challenges of the pandemic. In recognition of their dedication and impact, we’re proud to sponsor the Excellence in Cancer Research Nursing Award of the Royal College of Nursing’s 2021 Nursing Awards. If you work with clinical research nurses who have gone above and beyond to deliver cancer clinical trials, you can enter on their behalf and showcase excellence in cancer clinical trials.
Entries are open until 30 April. |
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| WEBINAR: CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS AND COVID-19 Clinical research nurses and delivery teams nationwide have had to adapt clinical trial delivery to ensure patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now we have an opportunity to capture lessons and innovations from this period. Join us on International Clinical Trials Day (Thursday 20 May) to explore positive lessons from cancer clinical trials delivery during COVID-19 – and how we can harness these insights to influence the future of cancer trial delivery for the better. |
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| | | Learn business skills to help translate your research. No knowledge or experience of entrepreneurship required. 13 April 2021 |
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| | | Register your interest for the 2021 event. You'll be first in line to know when registration opens. 06 October 2021 |
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