Over 75 people registered to take part in this live event organised by the Bristol Cancer Research Network alongside our partner the National Institute for Health and Care Research Clinical Research Network West of England. The programme offered a series of oral and poster presentations from ECRs based on abstract submissions, and comprised 8 oral and 13 poster presentations delivered by our up and coming research stars.
What is an early career researcher (ECR)?
We have no set definition for an ECR; we welcomed submissions from undergraduates, postgraduates, postdocs, technicians, recently appointed lecturers who are starting their academic careers, clinicians embarking on a research career, and anyone who felt they were starting a new phase in their career journey. The speakers came from a variety of backgrounds and career stages.
The oral programme (in order of appearance)
| Mark Gormley | Wellcome GW4- Clinical Academic PhD fellow | Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences | University of Bristol | Effect of genetically-predicted cholesterol lowering on head and neck cancer risk |
| Hanin Alamir | PhD student | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine | University of Bristol | T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 suppresses cytotoxic T lymphocyte anti-tumour function in a three-dimensional tumour spheroid model |
| Jasmine Khouja | Senior Research Associate | School of Psychological Science | University of Bristol | A multivariable Mendelian randomisation study exploring the direct effects of nicotine on cancer compared with the non-nicotine constituents of tobacco smoke: Implications for e-cigarette use |
| Dowan Kwon | Clinical Fellow | University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust | Procalcitonin – a new approach to tailoring antibiotic treatment in cancer patients | |
| Elysia Traynor / Laura Perry | PhD students | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine / Applied Sciences | University of Bristol / University West of England | Investigating the Role of the Prostaglandin E2-EP4 Axis in Colorectal Carcinogenesis |
| Adam Chambers | Academic Clinical Lecturer | School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine | University of Bristol | Novel NF-κB signalling clusters predict DFS and OS following neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer |
| Danny Legge | Research Associate | Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences | University of Bristol | Identification of targetable metabolic dependencies across colorectal cancer progression |
| Caroline Bull | Senior Research Associate | Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences | University of Bristol | The influence of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT) on oncology-related proteins in circulation |
| KEYNOTE: Timothy Frayling | Professor of Human Genetics |
College of Medicine and Health |
University of Exeter | Using human genetics to understand the aetiological links between obesity and cancer |
The poster programme
- Alves, Anneke & Caws, Chloe (ST3 Registrar / Medical Oncology Clinical Fellow, Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre): Assessing pharmacogenomic dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) testing in clinical practice
- Bailey, Mark (Speciality doctor in Respiratory medicine (SAS) and clinical informatician, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital): Cancer pathway optimisation through digitisation and automation
- Constantinescu, Andrei (PhD student, Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences): Circulating immune cell count and colorectal cancer risk: a Mendelian Randomization study
- Cox, Nicola (ST5 Clinical Oncology trainee, Bristol Cancer Institute): Early experience in developing a study to inform decisions around palliative radiotherapy (pallRT) in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC) (presented by Sarah Hargreaves)
- Gee, Abigail (ST6 Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust): TOASTIE at the Bristol Cancer Institute; a first Principal Investigator Experience
- Hamer, James (PhD student, Swansea University): Investigating the potential for induction of ferroptotic programmed cell death by statins in chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer
- Hayes, Bryony (PhD student, Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences): Orienting causal relationships between sleep and adiposity traits using Mendelian randomisation
- Hoskin, Ashley & Belfield, Kat (PhD student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine / Clinical Research Fellow, UHBW and MD student): Is 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) the new aspirin?
- McKinlay, Alec (PhD student, Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences): Association between telomere length and risk of cancer: A Mendelian randomisation study
- Mitchell, Ruth (Senior Research Associate, Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences): Integrating Health Research: Mechanisms to Populations
- Neish, Karen (MSc student, School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine): Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and their role in tumour immunity
- Richenberg, George (PhD student, Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences): Investigating oscillating DNA methylation signals to provide insights into biological rhythmicity
- Swana, Matimba (PhD student, Engineering Mathematics): Nanoswarms: Should we let a robot swarm treat your cancer?
The prizes
We are delighted to have awarded a number of prizes to our presenters:
- 1st place oral presentation: Adam Chambers, a £50 cash prize supported by the NIHR CRN West of England for Novel NF-κB signalling clusters predict DFS and OS following neoadjuvant therapy in rectal cancer
- 2nd place oral presentation: Hanin Alamir, a £30 cash prize for T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 suppresses cytotoxic T lymphocyte anti-tumour function in a three-dimensional tumour spheroid model
- 3rd place oral presentation: Dowan Kwon, a £20 cash prize for Procalcitonin – a new approach to tailoring antibiotic treatment in cancer patients
- 1st place poster presentation: Karen Neish, a £50 cash prize for Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and their role in tumour immunity
- 2nd place poster presentation: Ashley Hoskin and Kat Belfield, a £30 cash prize for Is 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) the new aspirin?
- 3rd place poster presentation: Bryony Hayes, a £20 cash prize for Orienting causal relationships between sleep and adiposity traits using Mendelian randomisation
Congratulations are extended to all our presenters who delivered a fascinating and fantastic range of talks that truly engaged the audience.
The Network is supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute and we thank them for the financial support required to run the event.