The next generation of cancer specialists are being given a leg-up in Dundee, thanks to a unique scheme run by a Tayside charity.
PhD student Morven Shuttleworth – one of four whose work is being funded by the Ninewells Cancer Campaign (NCC) – was in Liverpool earlier this month for the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) conference, the biggest gathering of its kind in the UK.
Another, Tanja Domke, has recently completed her thesis, while two more are working through their four-year research programmes at the Jacqui Wood Cancer Centre at Ninewells.
It’s notoriously difficult for younger scientists to secure the necessary funding in the very early stages of their research and the charity’s backing for their PhD studentships has allowed a series of potentially groundbreaking programmes to get off the ground.
Morven, 25, was part of a group from Tayside who attended the NCRI gathering, which brought together more than 1,000 experts from science and clinical cancer care to discuss the latest thinking in the research and treatment of the disease.
The Dundee University graduate’s PhD is focusing on oesophageal cancer – in particular how the disease progresses in different patients and the reasons some respond better to treatment than others.
Morven said the charity’s funding had made all the difference to her work. “It’s becoming harder and harder to get studentships so I’ve been really lucky. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of the Ninewells Cancer Campaign,” she said.
The funding for PhD students is also helping Tayside to attract some of the brightest emerging talent from around the world.
Tanja was the first to take up a NCC studentship in 2013 when she joined Dr Mario Stavridis’ group working on specialised cancer stem cells. Her interest in the field was prompted while studying for her master’s degree in Germany.
Laura Torrente, 26, arrived in Dundee with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and a master’s degree in biomedicine from the University of Barcelona and is working with Dr Laureano de la Vega, who has come to Tayside from Spain via Germany.
Magda Reis, 26 secured a first class honours degree in bioscience, followed by a postgraduate degree in health sciences in Portugal, before being attracted to Tayside by the NCC scheme. Her research is looking at the mechanisms behind cell division with the aim of understanding how cancer cells are able to divide out of control.
She is being overseen by Dr Adrian Saurin, who said the NCC funding had been crucial to his work. “It’s hard for me to describe just how important this type of support is for a young scientist like myself,” he said. “It has allowed me to tackle the big questions that I hope will lead to the results that will kick start my career.
“Once your career is up and running it’s much easier to generate the money from other sources in the UK and Europe. Getting to that stage is the difficult part and the help of the Ninewells Cancer Campaign has made it a whole lot easier for me.”
The Jacqui Wood Cancer Centre at Ninewells is home to more than 20 research groups working to turn pioneering research into effective treatments for patients.
It is supported by the NCC, which was set up in 1991 as a one-off appeal to purchase a CAT scanner for Tayside’s main hospital and – with the backing of the public – has since raised more than £22 million.
The building was named in memory of Dr Jacqui Wood, who chaired the campaign from its formation until her death in 2011.