As part of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, we aim to translate the latest discovery science into patient benefit. Image Established in 2022, the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre brings together the very best in cancer research from Edinburgh and Glasgow with the unifying mission to translate cutting-edge discoveries into promising therapeutic opportunities for the Scottish population. The CRUK Scotland Centre is led by Prof Charlie Gourley (Clinical Director) and Prof Owen Sansom (Scientific Director). Our research focuses on cancers that profoundly affect people in Scotland, and cancers in which we have a growing expertise. Collaborating across more than 80 teams, we support research activities in both the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, including the Institute of Genetics and Cancer in Edinburgh and the School of Cancer Sciences and CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow. Our scientists work closely with the Glasgow and Edinburgh Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres and Clinical Trials Unit and benefit from unprecedented access to the two largest cancer treatment centres for patients in Scotland, the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and the Western General Hospital. Our research at the CRUK Scotland Centre is directed at six tumour-focused themes and an additional theme on data, underpinning the individual research strands. Colorectal cancer Hepatobiliary cancer Pancreatic cancer Mesothelioma Brain tumours Gynaecological cancer More information about the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre can be found on our website: https://www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/ Governance Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre Research funded as part of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre is led jointly by Prof Owen Sansom (Scientific Director) and Prof Charlie Gourley (Clinical Director). Our joint directors work closely with the senior management team, formed by Prof Chris Halsey, Prof Gareth Inman, Prof Neil Carragher, Prof Liz Patton, Prof Steve Pollard, Denise Calder, Dr Jackie Beesley (Centre Manager) and Dr Katharina Schraut (Senior Project coordinator), who oversee the day-to-day management and operation of the Centre. Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre Leadership [link https://www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/about-us/our-team] https://www.crukscotlandcentre.ac.uk/about-us The Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre management and strategic direction is overseen by a governance board. Scientific strategy of the centre is supported by an external Scientific Advisory Board. Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre Governance Board membership: John Iredale (Chair) University of Bristol Moira Whyte (Deputy Chair) University of Edinburgh Alex Pemberton Cancer Research UK Iain McInnes University of Glasgow David Argyle University of Edinburgh Sarah Cunningham Burley University of Edinburgh Margaret Frame University of Edinburgh Alasdair Gray Lothian Health Board Owen Sanson Scientific Director, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Glasgow Charlie Gourley Clinical Director, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Edinburgh Gareth Inman Scientific Strategy Lead, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Glasgow Chris Halsey Senior Management, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Glasgow Denise Calder Director of Strategic Partnerships, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Edinburgh Liz Patton Senior Management, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Edinburgh Neil Carragher Senior Management, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Edinburgh Steve Pollard Senior Management, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Edinburgh Jackie Beesley Centre Manager, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Glasgow Kate Schraut Senior Project Coordinator, CRUK Scotland Centre, University of Glasgow Arek Welman Scientific Funding Manager, University of Edinburgh Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre Scientific Advisory Board membership: Prof Jan Paul Medema - Chair Professor of Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC Prof Sarah Blagden - Chair Professor of Experimental Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford Prof Michaela Frye Head of Division of Mechanisms regulating gene expression, German Cancer Centre, DKFZ Prof Kristian Helin Chief Executive and President of The Institute of Cancer Research, London Dr Ultan Mcdermott Chief Scientist at AstraZeneca Prof Eva Morris Professor of Health Data Epidemiology, Big Data Institute and Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford Prof Magnus Rattray Professor of Computational & Systems Biology, and Director of the Institute for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at the University of Manchester Professor Jan Paul Medema - Chair Professor of Cancer Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC Jan Paul Medema studied Chemistry in Leiden and performed his PhD studies at the University of Utrecht analyzing the role of the Ras GTPase GAP120 in differentiation of keratinocytes. During his first postdoctoral years at the German Cancer Center in Heidelberg he worked on the signal transduction cascade induced by CD95/Fas/APO-1 and used this insight in cancer immunology during his postdoc at the LUMC in Leiden. Here he became assistant and subsequently associate Professor focussing more and more on the role of cell death escape mechanisms that tumors use to avoid immune surveillance and help escape from chemotherapy. In 2005 he moved to the AMC in Amsterdam to start the laboratory of Experimental Oncology and Radiobiology (LEXOR) and became full Professor, department head and in 2016 Scientific director of the Cancer Center Amsterdam. His laboratory LEXOR now houses multiple research teams that study cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, specifically colorectal, oesophageal and pancreatic cancer. The aim is to understand the heterogeneity present within these cancers and between distinct cancer patients. For colorectal cancer we have been instrumental in the design of molecular subtypes that identify patient groups with clearly distinctive tumors from a biological point of view. Understanding the ontogeny, molecular wiring and vulnerabilities of these molecular subtypes is key to our research program. Next to this patient-to-patient variation we study the intra-tumor heterogeneity from a cancer stem cell perspective. Interaction with the microenvironment, nutrients, microvasculature and immune components is part of our studies to unravel biological wiring as well as novel targets for therapy. For our studies we depend on primary tumor material from patients and hence we have optimal connection to several clinical departments (Surgery, Pathology, Radiotherapy, Med Oncology and Gastroenterology). Moreover, organoids and xenografts derived from tumor material as well as a wide range of mouse models is part of our research infrastructure. https://www.amsterdamumc.org/en/research/researchers/jan-paul-medema.htm Prof Sarah Blagden - Chair Professor of Experimental Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford mRNA Dysregulation in Cancer Gene expression describes the conversion of genetic message to protein. This depends on messenger RNA (mRNA) which copies the gene sequence, shuttles into the cytoplasm, binds ribosomes and generates protein. Numerous RNA binding proteins (RBPs) attach to these mRNA transcripts and regulate their splicing, stability, subcellular localisation and rate of translation. In cancer cells, expression of RBPs is disrupted, driving the malignant state by preserving the stability of proto-oncogenic mRNAs while destabilising those with tumour suppressor functions. One such RBP is La-related protein 1 (LARP1). We have shown that LARP1 is capable of selectively binding transcripts involved in cancer processes and is present at high levels in some epithelial cancers. The net effect of LARP1 upregulation is to drive cancer progression. The purpose of our research is to discover more about cancer RBPs and develop therapeutics against them that can be used as anti-cancer treatments. LARP1 (green) highly expressed in the cytoplasm of a cancer cell. LARP1 is associated with almost 3000 mRNAs predominantly those encoding cancer signalling proteins. Cancer Therapeutics A crucial part of cancer drug discovery is finding the best cancer treatments for the future. The Oxford Early Phase Cancer Trials Unit has a long established track record of drug discovery and delivering novel therapies safely and effectively. Dr Blagden has a strong science and medical background which enables her to design clinical trials, investigate treatments (developed by academia or industry) and deliver them to cancer patients. In leading the Early Phase Trials Unit, Dr Blagden’s team investigate new treatments for patients with cancer. Potential treatments are carefully chosen on their scientific rationale, their likelihood of being effective and, most importantly, their safety profile. https://blagdenlab.wordpress.com/research/ Prof Michaela Frye Head of Division of Mechanisms regulating gene expression, German Cancer Centre, DKFZ The decision of stem cells to self-renew, proliferate or undergo differentiation is initiated by external stimuli that are linked to an intrinsic network of transcriptional, post-transcriptional and translational processes. RNA plays versatile roles in the transcription and translation of genes into proteins. To expand the function of an RNA molecule and to increase its capacity to encode information, each nucleobase can be chemically modified. To date over 150 chemical modifications are known in RNA. Many RNA modifications are functionally indispensable for protein translation because they regulate messenger RNA stability and splicing as well as protein translation efficiency and accuracy. One of the most common chemical RNA modification is methylation. Cytosine-5 RNA methylation for instance, is mediated by a large group of evolutionary conserved enzymes. The correct deposition of a methyl mark at cytosines is required for normal development and aberrant RNA methylation can lead to severe human diseases. Using a combination of novel transcriptome-wide quantitative analyses and well-established mouse and human in vitro and in vivo differentiation models, our group dissects the roles of RNA methyltransferases and their methylated target RNAs in normal development, human disease and cancer. Ultimately, this division seeks to understand how RNA modification pathways regulate stem cell fate, and to explore whether modulation of RNA-modification pathways can help to protect from cancer. https://www.dkfz.de/en/regulatorische-mechanismen-genexpression/index.php Prof Kristian Helin Chief Executive and President of The Institute of Cancer Research, London Professor Kristian Helin’s group studies the role of chromatin-associated proteins (epigenetics) in the regulation of transcription, cell fate decisions and in cancer. The group is also using functional genetic screens to identify potential novel targets for the development of anti-cancer therapy. https://www.icr.ac.uk/our-research/research-divisions/division-of-cancer-biology/epigenetics-and-cancer Dr Ultan McDermott Chief Scientist at AstraZeneca I have a lifelong interest in understanding how cancer genomes impact response to therapy in the clinic. In my role as Chief Scientist at AstraZeneca and the Head of the Functional Genomics Centre, I focus on the use of CRISPR screens and single cell sequencing to identify novel targets for cancer treatment. At AstraZeneca, we use state-of-the-art CRISPR tools for target identification, to advance our understanding of mechanisms of drug resistance, to help us develop new combination therapies, identify novel biomarkers for patient selection in clinical trials and to understand the fundamental biology of cancer. Prior to joining AstraZeneca in 2018, I worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Jeff Settleman at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Centre on high-throughput cancer cell line drug screens and resistance mechanisms. I have also served as Group Leader and member of Faculty at the Wellcome Sanger Institute for 10 years https://uk.linkedin.com/in/ultan-mcdermott-mb-phd-frcp-14016bb8 Professor Eva Morris Professor of Health Data Epidemiology, Big Data Institute and Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford The AHRU, led by Eva Morris and Sasha Shepperd, aims to drive improvements in health care and outcomes through translational research and methodological innovation. Our research focuses on: understanding variation in incidence, prevalence, treatment pathways and health outcomes, evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of health services in relation to a range of diseases and health problems, evaluating the equitable implementation of effective interventions to improve health and avoid research waste. We advocate for the robust and innovative use of data to generate evidence to guide the design and delivery of effective and equitable health services to improve population health. We do this by conducting epidemiological research, and evidence synthesis to place our research within the context of existing evidence, randomised trials, surveys and qualitative research. The group’s linked data assets, include national and regional hospitalisation records which run from 50 years ago to the present day, national mortality (civil registration) records, cancer registry data, and primary care records which provide extensive research opportunities. Methodological approaches developed for these datasets complement those required for other datasets in Oxford Population Health that also link to hospitalisation and other routine clinical data (such as the Million Women Study, UK Biobank, and large clinical trials), providing efficient means for testing specific hypotheses in more depth. https://www.ndph.ox.ac.uk/research/research-groups/applied-health-research-unit-ahru Prof Magnus Rattray Professor of Computational & Systems Biology, and Director of the Institute for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at the University of Manchester Magnus uses probabilistic modelling and Bayesian inference techniques to study biological systems across a broad range of temporal and spatial scales, from gene expression in single cells to longitudinal population health data. Recent work includes methods to uncover oscillations from single-cell imaging time course data and the development of scalable Gaussian process models for pseudotime and branching process inference using single-cell omics data. https://www.turing.ac.uk/people/researchers/magnus-rattray Image This article was published on 2024-09-23
