Newcastle Upon Tyne
The Northern Institute for Cancer Research
By sharing their experience and expertise, scientists are able to fast-track pioneering new treatments from the lab bench to patients.
The Institute is housed in the purpose-built Paul O’Gorman building, which is named after a 14-year-old boy who lost his life to leukaemia.
Work at the Institute covers 3 main areas:
- studying molecular processes in cells to identify new targets for anti-cancer drugs
- developing drugs that interact with these targets
- evaluating new treatments in patients through clinical trials.
The Cancer Research UK Developmental Therapeutics Unit at the Institute is an international centre for anti-cancer drug development. Here, novel treatments can be taken right through from design in the laboratory to evaluation in the clinic, so promising new treatments can benefit patients.
Testing new treatments
Scientists at the Developmental Therapeutics Unit, led by Dr Nicola Curtin, have identified a drug that makes cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy treatment. Dr Ruth Plummer of the Early Clinical Trials Unit is now testing this drug in patients.
Dr Ujjal Mallick is running a trial that aims to improve the treatment of, and quality of life for, people with thyroid cancer. He is investigating whether a lower dose of radioiodine after surgery is as effective as a high dose. This is a unique trial, which could bring benefits to patients around the world.
Improving treatment of childhood cancer
Childhood cancer is quite rare, affecting around 1 in 500 children under the age of 15 in Britain. The small numbers of patients, particularly those with rare childhood cancers, mean that collaborative clinical trials are essential if treatment is to rapidly improve.
We fund the clinical trials work of the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG). The group co-ordinates the care of virtually all the UK’s children with cancer, ensuring they receive the most up-to-date treatments. Children involved in clinical trials tend to do better and the CCLG has greatly improved recruitment in recent years. The CCLG runs trials at 21 paediatric centres throughout the British Isles, including the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
The NICR plays a leading role in worldwide efforts to improve the treatment of children’s cancer. Their main focus is to examine the use of a range of existing chemotherapy drugs in children, as well as to develop new treatments for this age group.
Dr Gareth Veal and Professor Alan Boddy are investigating new ways to treat neuroblastoma, a cancer of nerve cells that can occur in young children. Dr Veal is combining traditional chemotherapy with new drugs called retinoids, which more specifically target cancer cells. This new approach could greatly reduce side effects in children with neuroblastoma. Professor Boddy is investigating why retinoids may be more effective in some patients than in others.
Dr Steven Clifford is investigating ways to improve the diagnosis and treatment of medulloblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer in children. He is studying an important gene, which could be used as a molecular marker to identify children with more aggressive cancer. In the future, this would help doctors to tailor treatment to individual patients, giving them the best possible chance of survival.
Find more of our research in the north of England.
