ICEP research: impact
Our research findings benefit people, society and the economy.
Changing policy and practice
Our policy report outlines key findings from our work on the causes of cancer, and suggests implications for policy. It discusses our findings on:
- Overweight and obesity
- Physical activity
- Sleep
- Statins and ovarian and breast cancer
- Early detection of lung cancer
- Vitamin D
Our work on prostate cancer screening has been instrumental in changing guidelines on this topic. See, for example, this 2020 document from the UK National Screening Committee.
Our work on health behaviours and smoking has led to discussions with Bristol City Council (pages 5-6) about piloting ‘vaping spaces’ to reduce tobacco smoking and increasing access to alcohol-free options.
We have formed an international collaboration with the University of Manchester and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) to create a diagnostic, multi-omic biomarker of lung cancer aimed at identifying individuals who would most benefit from CT screening.
Improving cancer treatment
Our research has shown potential to reduce the costs of drug development by identifying promising intervention targets using Mendelian randomisation. In collaboration with our partners we have:
- Validated the effect of a new drug targeting IL23R that is now in late-stage development for Crohn’s disease.
- Discovered that tocilizumab, a rheumatoid arthritis drug, could be used for cardiovascular disease prevention.
Our open access analysis tools enable commercial researchers to run Mendelian Randomisation analyses, which can lead to advances in the prevention or treatment of cancer.
A large number of non-academic users are registered with one of these tools: MR Base. The database averages >800 unique users (>7.5 million queries) per month and has received financial investment from the pharmaceutical industry because of its potential to identify novel drug targets and drug repurposing opportunities.
Policy report
Key findings from ICEP (2015-2020): The Causes of Cancer (PDF, 3,106kB)