Cancer research at University of Bristol

The University of Bristol is working with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) on a number of projects, including a five year programme to reduce the burden of cancer, and the colorectal tumour biology group which looks at cell survival mechanisms and chemoprevention.

Cancer Reserach UK £4.1 million programme to reduce the burden of cancer

A CRUK programme grant has been awarded to Professors Richard Martin and Caroline Relton, titled ‘Reducing the burden of cancer: causal risk factors, mechanistic targets and predictive biomarkers’. The programme runs from 2015 for five years and will look at six types of cancer: lung, prostate, renal, breast, ovarian, and head and neck.

CRUK have awarded £4.1 million for this work and recognise this as “an ambitious programme with potential for high impact”. The team leading the programme was also recognised by the CRUK as being “at the cutting edge of developing and deploying Mendelian randomisation methodology”. The programme will be affiliated to the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit.

Cancer Research UK colorectal tumour biology group

The CRUK colorectal tumour biology group at the University of Bristol focuses on colorectal tumour cell survival mechanisms and chemoprevention.

Colorectal cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK and epidemiological evidence suggests that between 50-80 per cent are preventable. Chemoprevention (primary and secondary) provides one of the greatest opportunities to impact significantly on this disease. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer. This group looks at the biology of colorectal tumour cells, with a view to developing new interventions and to translate their research into clinical practice.