An Oxford scientist has been given £741,000 by Cancer Research UK to investigate how tumours can become resistant to radiotherapy treatment.
Dr Geoff Higgins, who is based at The Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, at the University of Oxford, has received one of five Clinician Scientist Fellowship grants, awarded to scientists to help them combat a disease that affects one in three people. Dr Higgins will use large-scale genetic screens to identify the genes and proteins that could potentially be targeted with drug treatments to improve the effectiveness of radiotherapy.
He said: “I’m delighted to have been awarded the Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship. My research combines studies in the clinic with laboratory research to find out more about how cancer cells respond to radiotherapy. This important award will enable me to carry out studies to research the safety and effectiveness of new drugs designed to boost radiotherapy treatment.”
The Clinician Scientist Fellowship grants are part of a total £3m Cancer Research UK funding pot, shared annually among scientists with the aim of identifying the next generation of clinical research leaders in the UK.
Dr David Scott, Cancer Research UK’s director of science funding, said: “The doctors receiving this funding are carrying out world-class research to develop new ways to diagnose and treat patients more effectively. We hope this funding will be an important boost to develop new approaches which we hope will ultimately increase survival from cancer.”
