Our committees oversee the peer review of applications for CRUK funding and support delivery of our strategic priorities.
Recently funded awards
This page lists the investigator-led programmes, projects and fellowships that we have recently supported through our response-mode grant funding schemes.
Select a funding committee to see what they have funded to date in 2024-25 (for Grant Award Letters issued up to August 2024):
May 2024
Biomarker Project Awards
Dr Alexandra Clipson and Dr Alicia-Marie Conway (University of Manchester)
Determining tissue-of-origin from circulating free DNA profiling for diagnosis of Cancers of Unknown Primary
Dr Nicholas McGranahan and Dr James Black (University College London)
GENESIS: Genomic Evaluation of a Novel Ensemble Signature for Immunotherapy Stratification
Prospective Sample Collection Awards
Dr Ashwin Sachdeva, Professor Noel Clarke and Professor Gert Attard (University of Manchester and University College London)
Collection of diagnostic tissue blocks from the STAMPEDE metformin trial in advanced prostate cancer
Clinical Trial Awards
Professor Adele Fielding (University College London)
UKALL15
Professor Gordon Cook and Dr Charlotte Pawlyn (University of Leeds and Institute of Cancer Research)
UK-MRA Myeloma XVIII iFIT: Immunotherapy approaches adapted for Fitness In newly diagnosed Transplant ineligible patients with Myeloma
Experimental Medicine Awards
Professor Gary Middleton and Professor Caroline Dive (University of Birmingham and University of Manchester)
A translational programme for DETERMINE (Determining Extended Therapeutic indications for Existing drugs in Rare Molecularly-defined Indications using a National Evaluation platform trial)
November 2023
Biomarker Project Awards
Professor Ming-Qing Du (University of Cambridge)
Precision Prognostic Utility of MYC translocation in Aggressive B-cell lymphomas
Clinical Trial Awards
Dr Frederik van Delft (Newcastle University)
Hem-iSmart international early phase clinical trial platform
Professor Steven Knapper and Dr Richard Dillon (Cardiff University and Kings College London)
Optimise-FLT3 Study: Optimising therapy for patients with FLT3-mutated Acute Myeloid Leukaemia
Dr Fiona McDonald and Prof Judith Bliss (Institute of Cancer Research)
HALT - Targeted therapy with or without dose intensified radiotherapy for oligo-progressive disease in oncogene-addicted lung tumours (Costed Extension)
July 2023
Prospective Sample Collection Awards
Dr Anna Wilkins and Professor Emma Hall (Institute of Cancer Research)
3P sample collection application
Dr Ann Henry, Dr Finbar Slevin, Dr Alexandra Clipson (University of Leeds)
POINTER-PC SC: Evaluating molecular markers of radiotherapy efficacy and toxicity for pelvic nodal recurrence in prostate cancer
Dr Christopher Williams and Professor Andrew Beggs (University of Leeds)
ctDNA collection within the ARIEL trial: A biomarker enrichment trial of anti-EGFR agents in right primary tumour location, RAS wild-type, advanced colorectal cancer (aCRC)
Clinical Trial Awards
Professor Gordon Jayson and Professor Richard Adams (University of Manchester)
VALTIVE1b: Validation of Tie2 for VEGF inhibitors in Patients With Ovarian Cancer Treated With Olaparib and Bevacizumab Maintenance Therapy: Optimising the Design (Costed Extension)
Professor Michael Schmid, Professor Paula Ghaneh, Dr Ainhoa Mielgo, Professor Daniel Palmer (University of Liverpool)
Investigating the translational potential of inhibiting AXL in combination with adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. (Pre-Clinical Package)
Experimental Medicine Awards
Professor Louis Chesler, Professor Darren Hargrave and Dr Isidro Cortés-Ciriano (Institute of Cancer Research)
Stratified Medicine Paediatrics 2 (StratMedPaediatrics2)
March 2023
Clinical Trial Awards
Professor Darren Hargrave, University of Birmingham
CRUK/23/002: BIOMEDE 2.0: Biological Medicine for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Eradication
Dr Reuben Benjamin, Professor Christina Yap, Dr Charlotte Graham, Dr John Maher, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
CRUK/23/003: pCAR19: Phase 1, open label, dose escalation study evaluating the safety and efficacy of next generation anti-CD19 parallel chimeric antigen receptor T cells (pCAR19) in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphomas
Prospective Sample Collection Awards
Dr Elizabeth Phillips, Dr Kim Linton, University of Manchester
RADAR sample collection: a randomised phase III study with a PET response-adapted design comparing ABVD +/- ISRT with A2VD +/- ISRT in patients with previously untreated stage IA/IIA Hodgkin lymphoma
June 2024
Programme Awards
Professor Jessica Downs (Institute of Cancer Research)
Investigating the contribution of chromatin dynamics to DNA damage responses and genome stability
Professor Zoltan Takats, Dr Burak Temelkuran, Prof Sadaf Ghaem- Maghami, Prof Josephine Bunch (Imperial College London and National Physical Laboratory)
Cancer surgery at systems medicine level: simultaneous molecular mapping and resecting of solid tumours using spectroscopically guided semi-autonomous surgical robots
Professor Sergio Quezada (University College London)
Deciphering Immune Reactivities and Regulatory Contexture in Brain Tumours to Advance the Development of Novel Immunotherapies.
Professor Alan Warren (University of Cambridge)
Targeting the ribosome as a pan-cancer therapy
Programme Foundation Awards
Dr Paul Elliott (University of Oxford)
Controlling survival of aneuploid glioma cancer cells through E3 ubiquitin ligases: role of BIRC6 and UBR4
Dr Sarah McClelland (Queen Mary University London)
Defining the origins and vulnerabilities of cancer chromosomal instability
Multidisciplinary Project Awards
Dr Fernando Perez-Cota, Dr Alan McIntyre, Dr Matt Clark (University of Nottingham)
The sound of Cancer: towards elasticity biomarkers
Dr Emma Harris and Professor Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke (Institute of Cancer Research and Queen Mary University London)
Tools for the early signposting of treatment resistance and metastasis in pancreatic cancer.
Cancer Immunology Project Awards
Professor Kevin Marchbank and Professor Helen Reeves (Newcastle University)
Hyperactive complement driving inflam-ageing: a shortcut to cancer?
Professor Irina Udalova and Professor Iain McNeish (University of Oxford and Imperial College London)
Decoding spatiotemporal heterogeneity of neutrophil subsets during ovarian cancer
November 2023
Programme Awards
New Programmes
Professor Linda Wooldridge (University of Bristol)
Identification of antigens targeted by T-cells mediating Graft-versus-Leukaemia and Graft-versus-Host Disease following Stem Cell Transplantation
Renewing Programmes
Professor Pascal Meier (Institute of Cancer Research)
Harnessing Cell Death Mechanisms in Cancer
Professor Peter McHugh and Professor Christopher Schofield (University of Oxford)
Targeting nucleases for the treatment of cancer
Professor Jussi Taipale (University of Cambridge)
Identification and targeting of common regulatory mechanisms underlying major forms of human cancer
Programme Foundation Awards
Dr Luca Magnani (Institute of Cancer Research)
Disarming Dormancy: preventing evolution by targeting oestrogen receptor dormant cells in healthy and cancer tissues (DiDo)
Dr Nicholas McGranahan (University College London)
Dissecting Evolutionary phenotypes in Cancer by Investigating Plasticity and Heritability in Evolution and Resistance (DECIPHER)
Dr Audrey Gerard (University of Oxford)
Studying the coevolving cancer and immune landscapes – unravelling targetable pathways of immune adaptation
Dr Helen Rowe (Queen Mary University of London)
Crosstalk between chromatin remodelling and immune evasion in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
Multidisciplinary Project Awards
Professor Campbell Roxburgh, Professor Joanne Edwards and Professor Emiliano Spezi (University of Glasgow and Cardiff University)
Derivation of novel non-invasive radiomic and AI-based classifiers to determine molecular behaviour of rectal cancer and its treatment response to radiotherapy
Professor Oscar Ces and Professor Charlotte Bevan (Imperial College London)
Cancer Research UK & Prostate Cancer UK Innovation Award: Microenvironment-Remodelling Synthetic Cells for Cancer Drug Delivery (DRCMDP-May23/100012 and RIA22-ST2-010)
Cancer Immunology Project Awards
Dr Ricardo Fernandes (University of Oxford)
Identification of structural and functional correlates of robust antitumour T cell responses
June 2023
Programme Awards
New Programmes
Professor Katrin Ottersbach, University of Edinburgh
The role of the microenvironment in the initiation and maintenance of infant leukaemia
Dr Ingo Ringshausen, University of Cambridge
Oncogene & tumour suppressor-mediated remodelling of the tumour microenvironment in B cell lymphoproliferative diseases
Professor Simona Parrinello, University College London
Glioblastoma Initiation and Re-initiation
Renewing Programmes
Professor Christian Siebold, University of Oxford
Molecular Mechanisms of Morphogen Signalling in the Tumour Microenvironment
Professor Mark Cragg, Professor Stephen Beers, University of Southampton
Targeting myeloid cells for improved antibody immunotherapy
Professor Ronald Hay, University of Dundee
New players in the targeted degradation of the PML-RARA oncogene by arsenic
Programme Foundation Awards
Dr Christopher Tape, University College London
Treatment Analysis via Individualised Organoid Responses (TAILOR)
Multidisciplinary Project Awards
Dr Ran Yan, Dr John Maher, Dr James Arnold, Prof Erik Arstad, Kings College London
Development of Novel 18F-labelled Molecular Probes for Long-Term CAR T-cell Tracking with Positron Emission Tomography (CART_PET)
Cancer Immunology Project Awards
Professor Jessica Strid, Imperial College London
Contribution of bioactive lipid mediators to inflammation and epithelial cancer development
May 2024
Programme Awards
Professor Nitzan Rosenfeld, Queen Mary University of London & Professor Mark Tischkowitz, University of Cambridge
Earlier diagnosis in women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancer
Project Awards
Professor Petra Hamerlik, University of Manchester
INFORM - non-invasive early detection of brain cancer using tear fluid proteome profiling
Dr Laura Woods & Dr Christina Dobson, Newcastle University
What does the introduction of Lung Health Checks (LHCs) in England mean for lung cancer inequalities? A mixed methods investigation.
Primer Awards
Dr Sarah Gosling, University of Keele
Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer: Interrogating The Tissue Microenvironment for Novel Biomarkers
Dr Faezeh Arab Hassani, University of Bristol
TACIMApatch: Tactile imaging patch for early detection of breast tumours
Dr Maria Paraskevaidi, Imperial College London
The use of high-throughput blood-based metabolomics for ovarian cancer early detection and diagnosis
Professor John Field, University of Liverpool
Multiomic Lung Cancer Early Detection
Dr Sarah Fry, Cardiff University
Acceptability and accessibility of using peer-led WhatsApp groups for sharing prostate cancer risk information between black men: a pilot study.
Dr Olena Mandrik, University of Sheffield
The use of high-throughput blood-based metabolomics for ovarian cancer early detection and diagnosis
Professor Anita Grigoriadis, King's College London & Professor Laszlo Radvanyi, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Transposable Element Activation in Pre-invasive and Early Invasive Breast Cancer Development in High-Risk Women: Developing a Spatial Proteogenomic and Liquid Biopsy Platform for Molecular Characterization and Early Detection
Dr Daniel Middleton, Queen's University Belfast & Dr Ismail Hosen, University of Dhaka
Liquid biopsy biomarkers for the early detection of bladder cancer in an arsenic exposed population (UroScan)
Dr Steven Ersser, Bournemouth University
Developing evidence and theory-informed digital videos employing a user-centred participatory approach, to support the early detection of skin cancer (EDSC) via self-examination of the skin (SSE), focused on at-risk (older men) and under-served populations (‘people of colour’)
Dr Christina Renzi, University College London
Cancer diagnosis in people with disability: a multi-methods international project on diagnostic pathways and cancer outcomes
November 2023
Programme Awards
Professor David Weller, University of Edinburgh & Professor Peter Sasieni, Queen Mary University of London
Risk-based screening in UK colorectal cancer screening programmes
Project Awards
Dr Massimiliano di Pietro, University of Cambridge & Dr Florian Markowetz, CRUK Cambridge Institute
Artificial intelligence based early detection of signet ring cell carcinoma in hereditary diffuse gastric cancer patients
Dr Ruchi Gupta, University of Birmingham
Smart Hydrogels and Devices for Early Detection of Cancer
Dr James Flanagan, Imperial College London
The Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS)
Dr Sarah Bailey, University of Exeter
Clinical utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in identifying patients at risk of cancer diagnosis in primary care: a cohort study using routine electronic health records
Professor Daryl O'Connor & Professor Mark Conner, University of Leeds
Increasing FIT bowel cancer screening uptake: Testing the effectiveness of two promising behaviour change interventions and their combination
Dr Rachel Evans & Dr Gilbert Fruhwirth, King's College London
ROR1 Detection As An Early Indicator Of Lung Cancer
Primer Awards
Dr Harriet Quinn-Scoggins, Cardiff University
Preparing healthcare providers and the public for Multi Cancer Early Detection (MCED) blood tests: towards equitable implementation through co-creation
Dr Vasiliki Symeonidou, University of Cambridge
Improving early detection of individuals at high-risk of developing AML and related cancers
Dr Jihong Zhu, University of York & Dr Roisin Bradley, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Robotic Positioning Assistance in Breast Screening
Dr Stephanie Archer, University of Cambridge
Integrating multifactorial risk assessment within secondary care breast services: co-designing a new pathway
Dr Kirsten Christensen-Jeffries, King's College London
Advanced Ultrasound Imaging for Early Cancer Detection and Diagnosis
Dr Takanori Kitamura, University of Edinburgh
Identification of macrophage-associated biomarkers to predict the progression of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) into invasive breast cancer
Professor Martin Widschwendter, University College London
Establishing optimal and acceptable vaginal self-sampling for epigenetic-based endometrial cancer surveillance in women with Lynch Syndrome
Dr Jamie Weaver & Dr Susanne Flach, LMU Klinikum Munich
Understanding the timings of mutations and microenvironmental changes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and associated field cancerization to develop better biomarkers for high-risk patient surveillance and early detection
Dr Hector Huerga Encabo & Professor Dominique Bonnet, The Francis Crick Institute
Detection of early steps of blood cancer
May 2023
Project Awards
Professor Peter Murchie, University of Aberdeen
Achieving Self-directed Integrated Cancer Aftercare (ASICA) in melanoma: Optimising the intervention using pilot evidence, assisted intelligence and behavioural science
Professor Shankar Balasubramanian & Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, University of Cambridge
Evaluation of G-quadruplex profiling for the early detection of oesophageal adenocarcinoma
Dr Ana Rio-Machin & Dr Kevin Rouault-Pierre, Queen Mary University of London
Deciphering the role of germline variants in the RNA-helicases to improve the early detection and management of familial MDS/AML patients
Dr Professor Richard Shaw & Professor Peter Weightman, University of Liverpool
Clinical and technical validation of infrared absorbance spectra to predict malignant transformation in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs)
Dr Daniel Royston & Professor Jens Rittscher, University of Oxford
Integrating AI-based early detection and assessment of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) into routine clinical pathways
Dr Lizhe Zhuang & Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, University of Cambridge
Cross-platform study of clonal heterogeneity and microenvironmental niches in initiation and progression of Barrett’s oesophagus and oesophageal adenocarcinoma
Primer Awards
Dr Abish Stephen, Professor Keith Hunter & Dr Geraint Morgan, Queen Mary University of London
Volatile metabolomics for early detection of aerodigestive cancers
Dr Xin Yang, University of Cambridge
Improving endometrial cancer risk prediction for prevention and early detection
Professor David Klenerman & Professor Richard Mair, University of Cambridge
Sensitive detection of P53 aggregates in biofluids for the early detection of cancer
Dr Luca Panariello & Dr Adam Creamer, Imperial College London
MagnetoCrisprZyme sensor for quantification of circulating microRNA in primary care settings
Dr Marta Canel, University of Edinburgh
Validating new models to investigate the impact of mutational heterogeneity in the early detection of pancreatic cancer
Professor Neil Hunt, University of York
Ultrafast 2D-IR analysis of liquid biopsies for cancer detection
Dr Marek Palace, Dr Christian von Wagner & Dr Carlos Santos Barea , Liverpool John Moores University
Developing multimodal data-driven art-inspired bowel cancer-screening promotion messages
Dr Ljiljana Fruk, University of Cambridge
Senescence-detecting, urine-based nanobiosensor for early detection of lung cancer
Professor Trevor Graham & Dr Callum Gabbutt, Institute of Cancer Research
Sensitive and specific pan-cancer early detection using fluctuating methylation clocks
November 2022
Programme Awards
Professor Caroline Dive & Dr Phil Crosbie, University of Manchester
Development of a multi-modal liquid biopsy for the early detection of lung cancer
Professor Clare Turnbull, Institute of Cancer Research, Dr David Adams, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and Dr Greg Findlay, The Francis Crick Institute
Defining the compendium of pathogenic germline alleles in cancer susceptibility genes via multiplex assays of variant effect (CG-MAVE)
Project Awards
Dr Jacqueline Shields, King's College London
Exploiting The Lymphatic System For Early Detection And Risk Stratification Biomarkers
Dr James Reading, Professor Sam Janes & Dr Maxine Tran, University College London
A multiomic T cell differentiation index (TEDI) for non-invasive early detection of lung and renal cancer
Primer Awards
Dr Gwen Murphy, Imperial College London
Serologic biomarkers of stomach cancer precursor lesions
Dr James Yarmolinsky, University of Bristol
Using reverse Mendelian randomization to discover novel circulating biomarkers for early detection of cancer
Dr Emma Woodward, University of Manchester
ATLAS - eArly deTection in Li frAumeni Syndrome
Professor Paula Mendes, University of Birmingham
Using superselective glycan-binding nanoparticles to create a clinical assay for early ovarian cancer detection
Dr Patrick Kierkegaard, Imperial College London
Developing an equity-focused Target Product Profile for non-invasive biomarker tests tailored to support mobile testing outreach programmes to reduce cancer inequalities
May 2022
Programme Awards
Professor Fiona Walter, Queen Mary, University of London, & Professor Stephen Pereira, University College London
CANDETECT: Accelerating detection of upper gastro-intestinal (UGI) cancers using a multi- cancer early detection platform in primary care
Project Awards
Professor Sam Janes, Dr Amy Webster and Professor Christina Thirlwell, University College London
Epi-ASCENT: The epigenetic landscape of screen-detected lung cancers
Dr Rasha Abu-Eid, University of Aberdeen
Integrating Raman spectroscopy and digital pathology as a novel tool for objective grading of oral epithelial dysplasia
Dr Floor Christie-de Jong, University of Sunderland, & Professor Katie Robb, University of Glasgow
Improving uptake of breast, bowel and cervical cancer screening among Muslim women: a feasibility study of a peer-led, faith-based intervention
Primer Awards
Dr Richard Hopkinson, University of Leicester
Detection of aldehyde cancer biomarkers by harnassing their carcinogenic reactivity
Dr Alexander Oldroyd, University of Manchester
The MyoScreen Study - Investigating the Utility of Liquid Biopsy as a Method of Early Detection of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy-Associated Cancer
Dr Francesco Boccellato, University of Oxford
Early detection of gastric cancer by the identification of functional markers driving pre- malignant alterations of the tissue
Dr Lauren Ford, Imperial College London
IntelligentToilet
Dr James Flanagan, Imperial College London
Combining diet and symptom management for earlier detection of cancer using transactional data
Dr Samantha Hiu Yan Ip, University of Cambridge
Investigating transportability of cancer detection models across datasets and time using population-wide electronic health data
Dr Jennifer Heaney, University of Birmingham
Improving myeloma diagnosis using a simple rapid test
Dr Denitza Williams, Cardiff University
Novel decision support intervention to support choice in cervical screening modality
Dr Qiang Wang, University of Edinburgh
Towards in-vivo in-situ early lung cancer detection using fluorescence lifetime imaging endomicroscopy: a preliminary study on data-driven characterisation of lung cancer using label-free autofluorescence lifetime images on unstained lung cancer tissue
Dr Sarah Haywood-Small, Sheffield Hallam University
Vocs-box breathomics: early detection and diagnosis of mesothelioma
Dr Leonid Nikitenko, University of Hull
EARLY DIAPAC: EARLY DIAgnosis of PAncreatic Cancer by combined proteomics and genomics testing of pancreatic cyst fluid
Dr Christopher Rowlands, Imperial College London
Cancer Led Optical Ultrasound Detection
Dr Christian von Wagner, University College London
Development and evaluation of a chatbot to support informed choice in the UK Bowel Cancer Screening Programmes
Professor Ferdia Gallagher, University of Cambridge
Early detection of structural and metabolic changes in small renal masses using advanced MRI to differentiate benign from malignant lesions
Dr Ardhendu Behera, Edge Hill University
LungHealth AI: Using AI to improve early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer
May 2024
Project Awards
Professor Eve Roman & Dr Eleanor Kane, University of York
United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS): a national population-based study examining the health of cancer survivors
Dr Emma Vincent, University of Bristol & Professor Javier Gonzalez, University of Bath
Does the biological response to ketogenesis influence colorectal cancer risk? – Exploring causality and mechanism.
Dr Helena Carreira, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Associations between androgen deprivation therapies and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in men with prostate cancer: a population-based cohort study in England
Biology to Prevention Awards
Dr Luke Boulter, University of Edinburgh
Identifying and eradicating tumour-initiating cells in high-risk cholangiocarcinoma patients
Professor Ahmed Ahmed, University of Oxford
Developing a vaccine for ovarian cancer prevention
Dr Cassie Clarke, Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute
Exploiting pyrimidine metabolism as a cancer prevention and intervention strategy
Dr David Church & Professor Simon Leedham, University of Oxford
LynchVax – a precision prevention vaccination strategy for Lynch Syndrome (LS)
Professor Malcolm Dunlop, University of Edinburgh
Establishing the rationale to develop small molecule drugs to prevent polyps and cancer in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
Professor Lesley Stark, University of Edinburgh
Use of spatial proteomics to dissect an emerging inflammatory pathway for targeted cancer prevention
November 2023
Programme Awards
Professor Christopher Bunce & Professor Mark Drayson, University of Birmingham
Prevention not cure: An interdisciplinary approach to preventing Myeloma
Project Awards
Professor Mark Hamer, University College London
The twenty-four hour physical behaviour spectrum and risk of cancer: The Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting and Sleep consortium (ProPASS)
Professor Catherine Harwood & Dr Rubeta Matin, Cardiff University
SPOT-IT: cutaneous SCC Prevention using tOpical Therapy in Immunosuppressed patienTs
Dr Laura Woods & Professor Linda Sharp, Newcastle University
Investigating deprivation-specific and ethnic inequalities in adherence to endocrine therapy in women with ER+ve breast cancer: can these explain disparities in survival?
Professor Rosalind Eeles, Institute of Cancer Research
IMPACT: Identification of Men with a genetic predisposition to ProstAte Cancer: Targeted screening in men at higher genetic risk and non-carriers – Long term follow up of the Mis-match Repair Gene Cohort
Biology to Prevention Awards
Dr James Reading & Professor Sam Janes, University College London
Targeting early T cell regulation to intercept lung squamous carcinogenesis
Dr Seth Coffelt & Dr Joanne Edwards, University of Glasgow
Investigating immunological prevention strategies for precursor lesions of colon cancer
Professor Tim Elliott. Dr Kevin Litchfield & Professor Sarah Blagden, University of Oxford
LungVax: Preventing lung cancer via targeting hotspot neoantigens with the ChAdOx vaccine platform
Dr Stephanie May, University of Glasgow
Targeting oncogene induced anti-apoptotic pathways for precision prevention in liver cancer
Dr Sanne van Neervan & Professor Benjamin Simons, University of Cambridge
The role of mutant cell competition and cooperation during field cancerization and intestinal adenoma development
Dr Emma Allott, Queen's University Belfast
Repurposing statins for precision prevention of PTEN-null prostate cancer
Dr Yi Feng, University of Edinburgh
Tracing somatic cell acquired oncogenic mutations from inception to investigate tissue environmental contribution to preneoplastic development
Dr Matthew Rose-Zerilli, University of Southampton
Harnessing the activities of gastro-intestinal innate immune cells for the prevention of oesophageal adenocarcinoma
Dr Matthew Ford & Professor James Brenton, CRUK Cambridge Institute
Exploring premalignant lesions of high-grade serous ovarian cancer and response to next generation PARP-inhibitors
May 2023
Project Awards
Dr James Yarmolinsky, University of Bristol
Obesity and pancreatic cancer risk: leveraging genetic, observational, and molecular approaches to provide novel insights into causal intermediates to inform cancer prevention
Professor Richard Martin, Professor Jenny Donovan, Professor Freddy Hamdy & Professor David Neal, University of Bristol
Answering key questions needed to inform prostate cancer screening policy: long-term follow-up of the ProtecT (15-year) and CAP (18-year) randomised controlled trials.
Professor Doug Easton, University of Cambridge
Characterisation of novel breast cancer susceptibility genes through large-scale targeted sequencing
Biology to Prevention Awards
Professor Walid Khaled & Dr Sara Pensa, University of Cambridge
Targeting BRCA driven premalignant cellular changes in the breast
Professor Kwee Yong, University College London
Understanding and restoring NK cell (dys)function in smouldering myeloma to optimise intervention strategies to prevent development of multiple myeloma
November 2022
Project Awards
Renewing Programme
Professor Amanda Cross, Imperial College London
Screening, Prevention and Diagnosis of Gastrointestinal Cancer
Project Awards
Professor Chris Cardwell, Queen's University Belfast
Antibiotic use and survival from breast cancer
Dr Jamie Hartmann Boyce & Dr Nicola Lindson, University of Oxford
Synthesising evidence on e-cigarettes: two living systematic reviews exploring their efficacy and safety for smoking cessation, and how to stop using them
Dr Tom Dudding & Dr Barry Main, University of Bristol
Head and neck 5000 – Identifying factors affecting survival and secondary physical effects of treatment at 10 years
Dr Laura Woods, Newcastle University
Developing a screening engagement index (SEI) for England
Dr Toral Gathani, University of Oxford
The Associations of Ethnicity and Breast Cancer
May 2022
Programme Awards
Professor Claudia Allemani and Professor Michel Coleman, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Global surveillance of cancer survival (CONCORD-4): 20-year trends in survival from 22 adult cancers and all childhood cancers, for patients diagnosed during 2000-2019 or later
Project Awards
Dr Simon Lord and Professor Sarah Blagden, University of Oxford
Exploring metformin’s mechanisms of action in mTP53-driven cancers
Professor Shahid Khan and Professor Simon Rushbrook, Imperial College London
Asp-PSC: Effect of Aspirin on Reducing Cancer in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
Dr Crawford Moodie, University of Stirling
The Adult Tobacco Policy Survey: Understanding how smokers and ex-smokers respond to tobacco control policies in the UK
Professor Nicholas Timpson and Dr Vanessa Tan, University of Bristol
Role of directly measured metabolic profile as an intermediate between adiposity and endometrial cancer: triangulation of evidence from independent sources
May 2024
Senior Cancer Research Fellowship
Dr Bethan Psaila, University of Oxford
Combating Cancer in a Challenging Environment – The Malignant Bone Marrow Niche
Advanced Clinical Science Fellowship
Dr Richard Mair, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
Identifying the mechanisms responsible for low- to high-grade transformation in IDH mutant astrocytoma
Career Development Award
Dr Heather Machado, University of Cambridge
Somatic evolution of CD8+ T cell tumour recognition, immune remodelling and immunotherapy response
Dr Haiyan Zheng, University of Bath
STEEP: Statistically Efficient Methods for Precision Medicine Trials
Pre-doctoral Research Bursary
Dr Kishen Patel, University College London
Integrating ctDNA Whole Genome Sequencing with Volumetric Analysis in Stage 3 Non-small cell lung cancer: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Postdoctoral Research Bursary
Dr Meera Patel, University of Manchester
Determining the role of bacteria in peritoneal metastasis from colorectal cancer
November 2023
Career Establishment Award
Dr Zarnie Khadjesari, University of East Anglia
Preventing cancer and cancer disparities with weight-management support – using hospital patient records and electronic signposting (eSIGN)
Dr Luigi Ombrato, Queen Mary University of London
Controlling metastasis formation by inhibiting the crosstalk between different myeloid cells
Dr Nischalan Pillay, University College London
Neo-Sarc: Enhancing the clinical whole genome sequencing programme for patients with genomically complex sarcomas
Career Development Award
Dr Matthew Coelho, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Establishing the Genetic Landscape of Therapy Resistance in Lung Cancer with Gene Editing
Dr Anke Nijhuis, Imperial College London
Targeting RNA splicing as a novel therapeutic strategy in ovarian cancer
Dr Johan Vande Voorde, University of Glasgow
Leveraging microbial metabolism to improve clinical outcome in colorectal cancer
Pre-doctoral Research Bursary
Dr Thineskrishna Anbarasan, University of Oxford
Integrating Spatial Transcriptomics with Multiparametric MRI in Prostate Cancer
Dr Faiz Jabbar, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Investigating how non-mutagenic factors influence driver gene selection during cancer initiation
Dr Thurkaa Shanmugalingam, King's College London
Profiling circulating tumour cells in lobular breast cancer
Dr Daniel Hughes, University College London
Modelling chromosome 13 deletion in human myeloma cell lines for functional assessment
Postdoctoral Research Bursary
Dr Oliver Pickles, University of Birmingham
Establishing a Patient-Derived Explant (PDE/PDTF) Programme for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases to Enhance Responses to Immune Checkpoint Blockade
May 2023
Senior Cancer Research Fellowship
Dr Ivana Bjedov, University College London
Defining novel mechanisms of selective radioprotection to improve cancer radiotherapy
Dr Andrew Blackford, University of Oxford
Genetic and functional interactions of RecQ helicases in cancer
Advanced Clinical Science Fellowship
Dr Amaya Viros, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute
Melanoma metabolic programmes of metastasis, tropism and immunotherapy response by anatomic site
Career Establishment Award
Dr Mirjana Efremova, Queen Mary, University London
Characterising the cellular state transitions mediating colorectal cancer metastasis
Clinician Scientist Award
Dr Sarah Aitken, University of Cambridge
Identifying image biomarkers in the spatial evolution of liver cancer
Pre-doctoral Research Bursary
Dr Khaylen Mistry, University of East Anglia
Molecular characteristics and outcomes of melanoma in England: a national cohort study
Dr Riccardo Masina, University of Cambridge
Modelling drug response with multi-omics using machine learning in PDTC high-throughput drug screening
Dr Daniele Scotto, University of Nottingham
Characterisation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells as a therapeutic target in glioblastoma multiforme
Dr Georgios Solomou, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Delineating glioblastoma cell state transitions during cell invasion using a patient-derived glioblastoma ex vivo organoid model (GBO)
Postdoctoral Research Bursary
Dr Thomas Hubbard, University of Exeter
Investigating the changes in breast cancer post neoadjuvant chemotherapy with Raman Spectroscopy
Dr Akshay Patel, University of Birmingham
Investigating Regulatory B cells as determinants of immune-related adverse events following checkpoint blockade therapy
Dr Robert Morgan, University of Manchester
Exploiting a Living Biobank to develop targeted therapies for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer
November 2022
Career Establishment Award
Dr Barrie Peck, Queen Mary, University of London
Understanding and exploiting Acetyl-CoA metabolism in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Senior Cancer Research Fellowship
Dr Jörg Mansfeld, Institute of Cancer Research
Discovery and functional investigation of how ROS can regulate the cell cycle
Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Dr Ayesha Noorani, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Mapping the clonal dynamics and somatic mutations of the human oesophagus during disease, development and carcinogenesis
Dr Sung Pil Hong, Imperial College London
Single-cell multi-omic profiling of intratumoral heterogeneity to tackle oesophageal cancer cell adaptation to chemotherapy
Dr Gurdeep Mannu, University of Oxford
Pre-invasive and Invasive breast cancer: from risk factors to optimal treatment
May 2022
Career Establishment Award
Dr Manavendra Pathania, University of Cambridge
The role of partner mutations in histone-mutant paediatric glioma
Dr Oscar Rueda, University of Cambridge
A statistical dynamic system for breast cancer prognosis and patient monitoring
Senior Cancer Research Fellowship
Dr Sophie Acton, University College London
Harnessing the lymphoid tissue niche to boost anti-tumour immunity
Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Dr Ehsan Ghorani, Imperial College London
Deciphering mechanisms of immune dysfunction and immunotherapy sensitivity in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia
Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Dr Jyoti Nangalia, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Deciphering timelines and trajectories to blood cancer
More facts and figures about our research funding
Find out more about how and where we supported research in the last year with our interactive map and infographics.
Awards funded in FY2021-2022
See list of awards funded in FY2021-2022