Irish Cancer Society awards three new cancer research scholarships

Scholars will focus on cholesterol and ‘natural killer’ cells, improving radiation response in oesophageal cancer, and finding new DNA markers in prostate cancer  The Irish Cancer Society is delighted to announce three new PhD scholars, who will embark on a journey of discovery in the field of cancer research over the next four years. Amy Buckley (Trinity College Dublin), Katie O'Brien (Trinity College Dublin), and Alexandra Tuzova (University College Dublin) were presented Irish Cancer Society Scholarship Awards at a special Research Awards event held in Dublin on Monday night.  The special occasion saw members of the cancer research community, family and friends, gather in the Bank of Ireland in Grand Canal Square, a support hub for innovative start-ups and new talent, to celebrate this year’s round of successful applicants to the Society’s PhD Scholarship Award Programme. Master of ceremonies on the night was Professor Cliona O’Farrelly, Professor of Comparative Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, former chairperson of the Society’s research committee and a passionate advocate for research.  The Society’s PhD Scholarship Award Programme was introduced to foster home-grown cancer research talent and involves a rigorous selection process that is peer reviewed by an international panel of scientists. The three new scholars now join more than 80 cancer researchers across the country, who are supported by the Irish Cancer Society, and will embark on a diverse range of cancer research initiatives from investigating how cholesterol levels may influence the ability of ‘natural killer’ cells to destroy tumour cells, looking at how radiation treatment response can be improved for oesophageal cancer patients, to searching for DNA markers in aggressive prostate cancer.  Under the supervision of Dr David Finlay at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Katie O'Brien, will investigate whether cholesterol can reduce the ability of ‘natural killer’ cells, part of the body’s defence system, to destroy tumour cells. If shown to be true, this could suggest that reducing a patient’s cholesterol level before starting cancer immunotherapy may result in better treatment outcomes. This scholarship is partly supported by the Children’s Leukaemia Research Project.  Amy Buckley will spend the next four years in the Institute of Molecular Medicine, St. James Hospital and linked to Trinity College Dublin, investigating novel drugs to improve treatment response in oesophageal cancer patients prior to surgery. Under the supervision of Dr Jacintha O’Sullivan, Amy hopes to determine if reducing both blood vessel growth and energy production in tumour cells can boost the response of oesophageal cancer patients to radiation treatment.  Meanwhile, under the supervision of Dr Antoinette Perry at the Conway Institute in UCD, Alexandra Tuzova will focus on looking for new DNA markers to determine the difference between low-risk and high-risk prostate cancer. Through this research, which is supported by the Movember Foundation, Alexandra will examine the DNA of aggressive tumours in search of important sequences called ‘enhancers’ that govern how the tumour cell behaves. Ultimately, this will help us to better understand what makes some tumours behave aggressively. Commenting on the 2015 Irish Cancer Society Research Awards, Dr Robert O’Connor, Head of Research at the Society, said, “Thanks to research more people are surviving and living well with cancer in Ireland today. Our commitment to Irish cancer research, such as this research scholarship programme, is only possible through generous donations from our supporters in every part of Ireland. We use international experts to guide our investment in research and these three young researchers, selected from a very large number of worthy applicants, add to an existing complement of over 80 researchers working across the country to tackle the many challenges that cancer brings. Our investment in research is critical and will lead to even better treatment and outcomes for Irish patients.” Noting the importance and value of the Society’s scholarship programme, Dr Antoinette Perry, a former Research Fellow and current mentor under the Society’s scholarship programme, said, “The Irish Cancer Society’s PhD Scholarship Award Programme is a vital and invaluable investment in early stage cancer researchers. Over the next four years each of these scholars will not only develop an expertise in a particular aspect of cancer research but they will also, no doubt, make a significant contribution to and further advance our knowledge and understanding of cancer and how it can be treated”.  For more information about the range of cancer research initiatives being supported by the Irish Cancer Society visit www.cancer.ie/research  If you would like to support the Irish Cancer Society and its ambitions to fund more cancer research why not take on a Trek for the Society. For more information or to get involved visit www.cancer.ie/trek or call the Fundraising Team on 1850 60 60 60. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"4977","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","width":"480"}}]]