From Labs to Lives: Manchester’s Next Generation of Cancer Leaders

By Parsa Pirhady, Cancer Sciences PhD student and Science Communications Ambassador

On the 3^rd and 4^th June 2024, the MCRC and Division of Cancer Sciences held the third annual Postgraduate Research Showcase. The showcase was an incredible opportunity to observe the groundbreaking and innovative cancer research taking place in our laboratories, hospitals, and offices across Manchester. It highlighted the depth and breadth of cancer research at The University of Manchester by bringing together postgraduate researchers from various disciplines to share ideas, learn about new advances, and build new connections.

Read on for a summary of the key themes covered and the main takeaways from the two-day event.

Lung Cancer Research

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally (Source: WHO). This is why the pursuit of novel treatments and better diagnostic strategies for the disease is being followed with a tremendous sense of urgency in Manchester. Over the two days, several postgraduate researchers delivered presentations on their work on lung cancer.

Victoria Fife is developing a new biomarker for the earlier detection of patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Her novel gene signature, called PTI, outperforms the widely used IFN signature as a biomarker in several key measurements, promising better patient stratification and treatment outcomes.

Another example of innovative research on lung cancer was presented by Kirsty Tinsley. Her work on small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell-to-cell interaction is groundbreaking. 97% of people with SCLC die within five years of their initial diagnosis and Kirsty’s discovery of the role of claudin 7, present at the tight junction of cell-cell interactions, promises to illuminate our understanding of this aggressive disease.

Additionally, Yitao Chen’s work focuses on discovering novel druggable targets in SCLC patients. By analysing large swaths of DNA and RNA data from patient-derived animal models (CTx), Yitao has found strong evidence for the presence of the RET gene in a subset of SCLC-CTx models, which could be used as a therapeutic target.

The research on lung cancer in Manchester does not solely focus on mechanistic studies. Mairead Daly presented her work on improving the delivery of radiation therapy to lung malignancies. Breathing leads to constant lung movement, making it difficult to target tumours with radiation. Her work compared current techniques (breath hold and abdominal compression) and evaluated their efficiencies. Mairead highlighted advancements in new devices that utilise machine learning algorithms to circumvent the issue of constant target movement, aiming to improve the accuracy and specificity of radiation delivery to lung tumours.

Colorectal Cancer Research

After lung cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide is colorectal cancer (CRC) (Source: WHO). The DCS is conducting a wide range of research to tackle this disease and a number of postgraduate researchers delivered presentations on the topic.

For example, Zornitsa Vasileva Stoichkova is exploring new uses for an old drug called oxaliplatin in CRC. She has shown that this compound, historically used to cause DNA defects, also induces damage to RNA molecules. Zornitsa hopes to leverage this finding in her pursuit of novel therapies for CRC patients.

On the other side of the spectrum, Miaomiao Gao is investigating evolutionary trajectories and mechanisms behind CRC metastasis in the peritoneum. The spread of CRC to the peritoneum (peritoneal metastasis) leads to drastically worse prognosis and survival outcomes, highlighting the urgent need to understand the genetic changes driving this phenomenon.

Advances in Early Detection

An increasing body of research has solidified the importance of early detection in battling cancer. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) are one of the main tools in the arsenal of early detection strategies. They are derived from large datasets and assign individual risk of developing cancer based on genetic makeup. However, postgraduate researcher, Eleanor Roberts, showed how these techniques are not universally applicable. The majority of datasets used to derive these risk scores come from Caucasian patients. Eleanor demonstrated that these predictive tools are ineffective in women of African origin who develop breast cancer, emphasizing the need for more representative datasets in biological research. Postgraduate researcher, Nicola Flaum, further scrutinised current PGS research. She showed that in ovarian cancer patients with a BRCA mutation, the PRS is a less informative risk predictor than age, family history, parity, and age at first full-term pregnancy combined.

Helena O’Flynn also demonstrated how clinical practice needs to change to treat clinical features as predictors of a potential cancer diagnosis by presenting her research which demonstrated that any bleeding after menopause could be a sign of endometrial cancer.

Innovative Therapies and Holistic Approaches

It wouldn’t be a Manchester showcase without some graphene research! Mang Xu discussed his work on graphene oxide (GO) and its potential as a drug delivery mechanism. He is particularly focused on using it to deliver tumour-specific antigens to immune cells (dendritic cells) to encourage the immune system to kill tumour cells.

Manchester is also renowned for its proton beam therapy facility at the Christie Hospital. Josephine Jones’s work focused on improving its accuracy and reducing non-target effects. Her ultimate aim is to develop a dose calculation tool derived from brain models to be used in the field.

Furthermore, the holistic nature of cancer treatment was the subject of Kate Law’s research. She aims to improve the quality of life for young central nervous system (CNS) cancer patients. By developing her YOU-CAN survey, she hopes to gather data and devise strategies to be implemented nationally to enhance the well-being of these young patients.

Workshops, Keynotes, and Poster Winners

The showcase was not limited to research posters and presentations. Day one included an engaging workshop on career development by Dr Lindsey Cauthen from the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Her insights on professional identity formation and its juxtaposition with personal and organizational identities were very insightful.

In addition to the career development workshop, several other workshops focused on careers, industry, and wellbeing. These sessions provided valuable guidance on transitioning from academia to industry, maintaining work-life balance, and ensuring mental health and wellbeing in a demanding research environment. These workshops were highly beneficial for the attendees, offering practical advice and strategies to navigate their future career paths.

Associate Professor David Kok from the Peter Mac institute also delivered a keynote talk on strategies to stay ahead in an ever-changing world. His talk placed emphasis on actively embracing change and adopting a starter-finisher mentality.

The event also celebrated the achievements of researchers with prizes for outstanding presentations and posters. The prize winners for the best presentations were Parsa Pirhady and Kirsty Tinsley, and the winner for the best posters were Harry Barnes and Laura Guest. These awards highlighted the exceptional quality of research and presentation skills demonstrated by the postgraduate researchers.

Closing thoughts

The MCRC-DCS Postgraduate Showcase was an incredible opportunity to observe the groundbreaking and innovative cancer research happening across Manchester. The dedication and passion of the researchers are palpable, and their work is paving the way for new treatments, early detection methods, and holistic approaches to cancer care.

It was great to present early-stage research, network, and connect with others from across the Division of Cancer Sciences. Being in person allowed for more meaningful interactions and the building of new connections. The progress showcased during the two-day event is a testament to the unwavering commitment of cancer researchers across Manchester to improving patient outcomes and enhancing the quality of life for those affected by cancer.

With thanks

The MCRC-DCS Postgraduate Research Showcase was organised by members of the organising committee. Special thanks go to: Adesewa Adebisi, Kashmala Carys, Fabianna Tennant, Sevim Gurler. If you would like to be part of the organising committee for the next showcase event, please contact MCRCtraining@manchester.ac.uk.

We are also grateful to Dr Andrew Gilmore and Dr Georgina Binnie-Wright and for the sponsorship from TakaraBio and Starlab as without their support this event would not have happened.

We hope you enjoyed attending this event and we look forward to the next MRC-DCS Postgraduate Research Showcase.