The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre Podcast

Dr Ines Machado, Dr Gabriel Funingana, Thomas Buddenkotte and Amied Shadmaan talk about the research they are undertaking within the collaborative project between GE Healthcare, the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. They also provide an update on the development of the Oncocare platform.

Ines is a Research Associate in the Crispin Lab at the CRUK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, UK.

Gabriel is a Clinical Fellow and PhD student in the Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, UK.

Thomas is a consultant to the Crispin Lab. He obtained his PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK, working at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and the Department of Radiology. He is now affiliated with the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, and the Hamburg-based company Jung Diagnostics.

Amied is Director of AI & Clinical Collaborations at GE Healthcare.

This week, Ellie Wolmark is joined by Dr Claire King, Cherry May Sanchez and Dr Rhys Grant to discuss some of the amazing engagement, involvement and inclusion initiatives that we run here at the CRUK Cambridge Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK. They share how and why we engage and involve patients and the public in our research, and focus on the importance of championing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in all aspects of our work. You will also hear about some of our projects for working with hard-to-reach communities, including how our Nursing and Allied Health Professionals Programme are helping to tackle health inequalities for people experiencing homelessness.

Claire is a Programme Manager for the Advanced Cancer Imaging and Cancer Immunology Programmes and an EDI Champion at the CRUK Cambridge Centre.

Cherry May is the CRUK Senior Research Nurse and co-Lead for the Nursing and Allied Health Professionals Programme at the CRUK Cambridge Centre.

Rhys is the Engagement Lead and an EDI Champion at the CRUK Cambridge Centre.

In today's episode, Marika Reinius and Maria Delgado Ortet talk about the multidisciplinary 3D mould guided radiogenomics project in ovarian cancer. They highlight how the process works and why it is potentially game changing in the treatment of a cancer where the standard of care has not really changed in over 20 years.

Marika is a clinical research fellow at the CRUK Cambridge Centre, University of Cambridge, UK.

Maria is a PhD Student in the Department of Radiology and the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Professor Jason Carroll speaks about his research in molecular oncology, with a focus on the work underpinning the PIONEER breast cancer trial and the outcomes of this clinical trial.

Jason is Professor of Molecular Oncology and Senior Group Leader at the CRUK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, UK. He is also co-lead for the Precision Breast Cancer Virtual Institute at the CRUK Cambridge Centre, UK.

In today's episode, Ellie Wolmark is joined by Professor George Vassiliou to talk about his research on clonal haematopoiesis and a new clinic that he has recently set up. We'll uncover what clonal haematopoiesis is and how it can sometimes lead to the development of blood cancer.

George is a CRUK Senior Clinical Fellow and Professor of Haematological Medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK. He is also a member of Faculty at the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and a Consultant Haematologist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

In this episode, Professors Grant Stewart and Stephen Price discuss what it means to be both a cancer surgeon and a clinical researcher. They talk about how they can improve surgery for brain and kidney cancer patients, how they can identify cancer as quickly as possible through screening, and how they can improve on the outcomes of surgery by augmenting it with other treatments such as radiotherapy and drugs.

Grant is co-lead of both the Institute for Integrated Cancer Medicine and the Urological Malignancies Virtual Institute at the CRUK Cambridge Centre, UK, and is Professor of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Stephen is co-lead of the Brain Cancer Virtual Institute at the CRUK Cambridge Centre, UK, and is Professor of Neurosurgical Oncology and Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Raj Jena talks about his research on analysis of the images used for radiotherapy planning and for modelling the effects and outcomes of radiotherapy treatment. As a clinician, he uses radiotherapy and drug treatments on patients with tumours in the brain or spine. He also talks about the InnerEye Project, a collaboration with Microsoft Cambridge, which uses algorithms to map and segment tumours from CT/MRI scans.

Raj is a Clinical Consultant and Radiation Oncologist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK, and is a member of the CRUK Cambridge Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Ellie Wolmark introduces part four of our Integrated Cancer Medicine: Research in Focus series. She talks to members of the CRUK Cambridge Centre about a diverse range of topics, including Dr Raj Jena to hear about his ground-breaking research, specifically the InnerEye project and how this amazing collaboration with Microsoft Cambridge has been brought into the clinic to benefit patients. Other topics include combining being a surgeon and a clinical researcher, Professor George Vassiliou talking about his research on clonal haematopoiesis and a new clinic that he has recently set up, as well as much, much more. As always you will hear discussions about research and research collaborations, the techniques that are being developed and how they translate to the clinic to affect patient treatments and outcomes.

Ellie is Communications Manager for Integrated Cancer Medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the CRUK Cambridge Centre, UK.

In this special episode of our podcast, we bring you a recording of a live 'Ask Me Anything (AMA)' event held by our Pancreatic Cancer Programme for World Pancreatic Cancer Day on 16 November 2023. The AMA webinar saw specialists from across different disciplines answering questions submitted by members of the public and discussing topics related to day-by-day living with pancreatic cancer.

In alphabetical order, the AMA panel consisted of:

Dr Bristi Basu, an Academic Consultant in Medical Oncology specialising in experimental cancer therapeutics at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and the clinical co-lead of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Pancreatic Cancer Programme.

Yvonne Cartwright, a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Paulo Fidalgo, a Gastroenterologist at the Digestive Unit of the Champalimaud Clinical Centre in Portugal, and head of their Risk Assessment and Early Diagnosis Programme.

Kirsty Hoare, a Cancer Support Specialist at Maggie's.

Dr Asif Jah, a Consultant Surgeon in hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) and transplant surgery at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Clinical Lead of the Department of HPB Surgery and Associate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge.

Jeni Jones, a Pancreatic Cancer Specialist Nurse at Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Laura McGeeney, a Pancreatic Cancer Specialist Dietician at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Sally Pascall, a 13-year survivor of pancreatic cancer, and one of our patient representatives who advises the Pancreatic Cancer Programme on issues that are relevant to patients.

Abigail Redman, an HPB Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

In this special episode of our podcast, Hui-Ling Ou is joined by Isobel Turbin to talk about inherited pancreatic cancer, genetic testing, and genetic counselling. They also discuss which genetic tests are currently available, why these genes are important, and how testing results may help pancreatic cancer patients.

Dr Hui-Ling Ou is the Programme Manager for the Pancreatic Cancer Programme at the CRUK Cambridge Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Isobel Turbin is a Principal Genetic Counsellor within the East Anglia Regional Genetics Service, UK. She currently holds cancer genetic, general genetic, and prenatal genetic clinics at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, as well as monthly general genetic clinics in King's Lynn, UK. Isobel is also the Education and Training Co-lead in the East Anglian Genetic Counselling Team.

Useful links mentioned in this podcast episode:

National Genomic Test Directory: www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directories

EUROPAC: www.europactrial.com

Genetic Alliance UK: www.geneticalliance.org.uk

Genetic and Genomic Testing (NHS webpage): www.nhs.uk/conditions/genetic-and-genomic-testing

Clinical Genetics at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: www.cuh.nhs.uk/our-services/clinical-genetics