Two medical researchers at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) have been awarded Future Leaders Fellowships by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as part of a new investment.
Early career academics from around the UK have been competitively selected to receive funding, as they lead new projects to address global challenges.
Dr Úna McMenamin from QUB’s Centre for Public Health received over £883,000 to improve diagnostics and treatment of the precursor condition of endometrial cancer.
Also referred to as womb cancer, is the most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in the UK and its cases are rapidly rising, especially in younger women.
Dr McMenamin’s research will use routinely collected health records with the aim of improving clinical guidelines on a global scale.
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There is currently no routine screening for endometrial cancer and primary treatment involves a hysterectomy, meaning a woman is forced to lose her fertility if treatment is required.
Endometrial hyperplasia is a recognised precursor, which if detected, can help to prevent the disease progressing to endometrial cancer.
It occurs when the lining of the uterus becomes abnormally thick and symptoms include abnormal menstrual bleeding.
Dr Úna McMenamin
Dr McMenamin, whose research will provide the first population-based endometrial hyperplasia register in Europe, explained: “The current lack of data and information around this common cancer is alarming.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this through establishing a register in Northern Ireland that will enable novel data linkages to important clinical datasets allowing us to identity the women most at risk of progression to endometrial cancer.
“The register will be facilitated by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, which is funded by the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency.
“This research programme will generate robust population-level evidence to inform diagnostic, treatment and surveillance guidelines for women with endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer and will ultimately lead to better informed clinical decision-making between women and their health care professionals.”
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Dr Stephen McMahon from the Patrick G Johnson Cancer Centre has also received £1.2m to develop personalised radiotherapy treatments to improve patient outcomes and reduce side-effects.
Dr Stephen McMahon
Radiotherapy is currently prescribed on a ‘one size fits all’ basis, whereby patients with the same type of cancer get the same dose of radiation, despite each individual responding differently to its effect.
Dr McMahon said: “Rather than one dose of radiotherapy for everyone, if we could predict how different patients’ cancers would react, we could then tailor the dose to the individual, maximising the patient’s chance of a successful treatment outcome.
“We will develop tools that will enable us to better understand how cancers respond to radiation based on their genetic profile. By bringing this knowledge from the lab into the clinic, we hope to provide clinicians with information on individual sensitivity to radiation at the time of treatment.
"This will enable more personalized radiotherapy treatments, minimizing side-effects and maximizing the chance of tumour cure.”
The fellowships are funded by UKRI, the national body which brings together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and Research England.
