NU Cancer

04/09/2025

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03/09/2025

🚨 Research Spotlight 🚨

Published work from the Paediatric Brain Tumour Group at was recently highlighted by Cancer Research UK this week. The study focussed on the molecular heterogeneity of Medulloblastoma (MB), one of the most common malignant brain tumours in children.

Specifically, it focussed on MYC/MYCN-amplified tumours, which are treated as a single "high-risk" group.

👉 This study of 159 tumours shows that not all MYC/N-amplified tumours are the same.

The authors discovered major differences in how these cancers behave:
🔹 Some patients face near-incurable disease and urgently need new therapies.
🔹 Others, even with “high-risk” tumours, can survive long-term with current treatments.

This breakthrough will help refine diagnosis, guide treatment, and bring hope to families worldwide. 💙

👏 Congratulations to the brilliant team behind this work!

12/08/2025

Celebrating Excellence - NU Cancer Conference 2025: Prize winner spotlight🏆

Huge congratulations to Dr. Eleanor Hackney, Clinical Research Fellow, for winning a poster award at the NU Cancer Conference 2025.

Eleanor’s research shines a light on the utility of multiple FIT testing for symptomatic colorectal cancer patients — work carried out within the Colo-Speed research network as part of the COLO-COHORT study.

This groundbreaking study aims to develop a risk stratification tool to identify those most at risk of bowel cancer and polyps, while also exploring the connection between the microbiome and neoplasia development.

Well done Eleanor! 👏

07/08/2025

🎉 Huge congratulations to Prof. Linda Sharp, Dr. Laura Woods & Dr. Christina Dobson on receiving a £40,000 grant from HDR UK North for their 9-month project: “Epidemiology of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer in England” 👏

Their important research aims to uncover possible causes behind the rise in early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) and improve early diagnosis and support services for those affected. 🧬💙

We're proud to see this vital work being recognised and funded! 🙌

01/08/2025

Prof. Mike Waring and his team have recently published in Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. They report on improvements in micelle promoted DNA-encoded library synthesis via surfactant optimisation.

You can read the full text at: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2025/OB/D5OB00864F

31/07/2025

30/07/2025

Congratulations are in order as two of our scientists have been appointed as national cancer drug experts by NHS England. 👏

With expertise across both solid cancers and blood cancers, professors Ruth Plummer and Stephen O’Brien will each play a leading part in making sure NHS patients have the best possible access to new cancer treatments. 🔬

Read more here. ⬇

https://bit.ly/3UzHlww

30/07/2025

Celebrating Excellence – NU Cancer Conference 2025: Prize winner spotlight 🏆

Eleanor Woodward (PhD Student)

Eleanor won a Flash Talk Award for showcasing her research on characterising structural variants in tumour samples via long-read sequencing using Oxford Nanopore platforms.

She charmed the audience by including a neat Newcastle-inspired example on the advantages of using the technique over short-read sequencing approaches. 🧬

Great job Eleanor!

25/07/2025

Congratulations to Abdullah Malik, who has recently been awarded a support grant from LIVErNORTH, a support charity for liver cancer patients based in the North East.

The funding will help support his research efforts to understand how radiation can affect tumours, the immune system and liver tissue, and how radiation could make immunotherapies more effective.

Well done Abdullah!

24/07/2025

Celebrating Excellence - NU Cancer Conference 2025: Prize Winner Spotlight 🏆

Louisa Taylor, PhD 🔬

Louisa won a Flash Talk Award for showcasing her research on finding new ways to treat high-risk MYC-amplified medulloblastoma. This included the successful identification of novel therapeutics that indirectly target MYC, both as single agents or as drug combinations. 💊

These agents have shown excellent promise in pre-clinical models of the disease, with the hope of bringing them to clinic in the future.

Great job Louisa! 👏

17/07/2025

🎉Congratulations to Dr. Shelby Barnett on receiving the joint EPHAR-EACPT Young Investigator Award in translational Pharmacology!

This award showcases the important translational pharmacology work that comes out of , and would not be possible without support from charities (The Little Princess Trust, Cancer Research UK, CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association), institutes, healthcare professionals and most importantly patients and their families.

Great work Shelby!👏