MCRC Director's Update
October–December 2025
Hello everyone,
Welcome to this final edition of the Director’s Update for 2025. As we reflect on the past quarter, I hope you have all had an enjoyable and highly productive transition into winter. This period has been packed with strategic milestones and high-impact engagement, reinforcing the MCRC’s position at the cutting edge of cancer research.
The MCRC will observe The University of Manchester’s holiday closure from 23rd December to 5th January 2026. I hope everyone can get some well-deserved rest and relaxation during this time.
In this issue, I share highlights from October to December, demonstrating how these activities continue to accelerate the MCRC’s mission and elevate our global impact.
International Advisory Board Meeting
On 20th and 21st November, we successfully hosted our International Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting. The Board comprises leading global experts in oncology and research management including:
- Professor Bertrand Tombal (Professor of Urology, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium and former EORTC President)
- Professor David Jaffray (Chief Technology and Digital Officer, MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA)
- Professor Sheila Singh (Professor of Surgery and Biochemistry, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Canada)
- Professor Patricia Lorusso (Professor of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, USA and former AACR President)
- Professor Karen Knudsen (Chief Executive Officer, American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, USA)
- Professor Daniel Zips (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany)
- Professor Henricus (Harry) De Koning (Deputy Head and Professor of Public Health & Screening Evaluation and Erasmus MC University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Areas covered in this IAB were the upcoming new MCRC One Manchester Strategy, Immunotherapy and Cell Therapy, Proton Beam Therapy, Digital Cancer Data and AI, Hereditary Cancer and Early Detection, Global Genomics, Integrative Pathology and site specific team science projects relating to Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma, Pancreatic Cancer and Esophageal cancer.
The IAB conducted a comprehensive review of our progress against our long-term strategic goals and sharply focused on key areas for future growth, including:• Accelerating our translational research platforms.
- Expanding our clinical trials portfolio
- Developing the next generation of research leaders
Their thorough review and strategic insights are invaluable, directly informing our operational and scientific planning and ensuring we maintain our position at the forefront of cancer research. We extend our deepest gratitude for their time and expert contributions.
Members of the International Advisory Board with Professor Rob Bristow and Bruce Daniels in the Paterson Building.
Professor Rob Bristow awarding Professor David Jaffray a certificate following his lecture at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
Launching Our Landmark 20th Anniversary Celebrations
During the IAB meeting, we were thrilled to officially launch the year-long commemoration of a significant milestone: the MCRC’s 20th Anniversary in 2026!
The celebrations kicked off in style with the MCRC 20th Anniversary Director’s Lecture. We were honoured to host Professor David Jaffray, Chief Technology and Digital Officer at MD Anderson Cancer Center, who delivered a powerful, thought-provoking lecture on deploying AI in healthcare. His talk emphasised the critical need for ethical governance and responsible usage to ensure maximum patient benefit.
This highly anticipated event was the first in a series of activities planned for the year ahead. Watch this space, and future Director’s Updates, for more details on our 20th-anniversary celebrations.
Global Impact: International and National Engagement
The final quarter of 2025 has been an exceptionally busy period for external engagement, ensuring the MCRC continues to inform both the global scientific conversation and national policy:
- BMJ Oncology Webinar – 1st October: I joined Dr. Emma Woodward at the BMJ Oncology Webinar to deliver a joint presentation on hereditary prostate cancer genomics testing, effectively disseminating our latest translational research findings to a wide audience of clinicians and scientists.
- Autumn Bi-annual Showcase – 16th October: We successfully hosted our bi-annual radiobiology and radiotherapy showcase for CRUK RadNet and the radiotherapy themes of the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), and the CRUK Manchester Centre. This event provided a crucial platform for sharing scientific progress and identifying opportunities for synergy across our research infrastructure relating to photon, proton and combined modality therapies.
- Early Detection Conference, Portland – 21st-23rd October: In late October, our ACED Manchester investigators (Professor Rob Bristow, Steve Lyons, Dr Emma Woodward, Professor Sue Astley, Professor Andrew Gilmore), attended the Early Detection Conference in Portland. We had the opportunity to present our work on novel prostate cancer models, hereditary cancer early detection and breast cancer biology and imaging and engaged with world leaders on new strategies in early detection.
- AORTIC 2025, Tunisia – 2nd-5th November: I was delighted to attend the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) conference with my Manchester (Accadius Lunayo, Rachel Chown, Professor Yeng Ang) and Nairobi-KUTRRH colleagues presenting their work from our joint NIHR GACD grant on Oesophageal Cancer Early Detection in Kenya. Our posters were well received and underpinned our leadership in defined early detection biology and capacity building in Sun-Saharan Africa.
- PPCG Meeting, London – 12th-14th November: Professor David Wedge and I attended the Pan Prostate Cancer Group (PPCG) meeting with our lab members (Lucy Barton, Dr Drupad Trevedi), supporting our international whole genome studies of prostate cancer. Stay tuned for multiple studies coming out in select Nature Publishing Journals in 2026.
- ESMO Immuno-Oncology Symposium, London – 10th-12th December: The ACED Manchester team attended this ESMO Symposium connected to the latest breakthroughs and advances in immuno-oncology research. Our own Professor Samra Turajlic from the CRUK MI was also a keynote speaker on immunotherapy biomarkers.
New EACS Fellow 2025
I was deeply honoured to be elected as a European Academy of Cancer Sciences (EACS) Fellow at the 2025 General Assembly, along with Professor Samra Turajlic, earlier this month. Other current MCRC-based EACS Fellows include Profs. Corinne Faivre-Finn, Caroline Dive and Nic Jones.
This role strengthens the MCRC’s voice at the highest level of European policy making, ensuring that the innovative work carried out here in Manchester contributes directly to the advancement of personalised and precision medicine for cancer patients throughout Europe.
A Look Ahead to the New Year
As we conclude a highly successful 2025 and pivot toward our landmark 20th-anniversary year, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all MCRC staff, students, and partners for your exceptional dedication and hard work over the last twelve months.
Your work continues to improve the outcomes of all our patients and populations at risk.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday break and a prosperous New Year in 2026!
Professor Rob Bristow
Director, Manchester Cancer Research Centre,
Director, CRUK Manchester Centre
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