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The West of Scotland is a world class centre for cancer research. This is a research field, which is not only producing ground breaking and exciting scientific advances, but it is of immense importance to society in general and the West of Scotland in particular. Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the West of Scotland. Glasgow leads the global league for incidence of the commonest cancer of all, lung cancer.
The School of Medicine at Glasgow University includes the largest complex of laboratory and clinical scientists devoted to cancer research in Scotland. Research covers a wide range of topics from basic studies on the causes of cancer and the mechanisms of its development to treatment of advanced cancer.
The Division of Cancer Sciences and Molecular Pathology within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Glasgow aims to understand the causes and molecular basis of the development of cancer and to apply this knowledge to improving the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. It is comprised of 5 main research sections:
1) Oncology and Applied Pharmacology
2) Experimental Haematology and Haemopoietic Stem Cells
3) Squamous Cell Biology and Dermatology
4) Gene Regulation and Mechanisms of Disease
5) Surgical Sciences and Translational Research
The division is funded by Cancer Research UK and has close associations with CRUK Beatson Laboratories.
In the Division of Clinical Neuroscience, collaboration between virologists, oncologists and neuroclinicians within the neuro-oncology and biotherapies research group, has led to the world's first clinical applications of a revolutionary approach to brain cancer using a replicant competent HS virus. Work underway includes:
· Laboratory characteristics and optimisation of mechanism of action;
· First ever administration to patients giving proof of safety;
· Clinical/lab studies of viral behaviour in patients;
· Efficacy studies in progress.
The centre, which officially opened in September 2003, provides state-of-the-art equipment to enable researchers to pursue genomics, proteomics, tissue microanalysis and bioinformatics that could revolutionise cancer research.
For further information on facilities and services see the SHWFGF website
The Beatson Laboratories is the collective name for the Cancer Research UK-funded centres at the Beatson Clinical Trials Unit, the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research and the University of Glasgow Section of Gene Regulation and Mechanisms of Disease. The Cancer Research UK Beatson Laboratories collaborate on basic research.
The Cancer Research UK funded Beatson Institute is a world centre of excellence for research into cancer. It is Scotland’s largest cancer research institute and has a wide-ranging programme examining the causes and development of the disease. The Institute Director, Professor Karen Vousden has unveiled plans for a new Beatson Institute at the Glasgow Science Park. Funded largely by the University of Glasgow and Cancer Research UK, the £15m development will provide world-class research facilities for an additional 100 researchers in a single venue.
The basic research portfolio of the expanded Beatson Institute will be directed towards understanding aberrant cancer cell growth (including cell cycle checkpoint control), cell life and death decisions and tumour cell dissemination.
· Research themes will be developed into investigating how proteins involved in cancer are controlled, for example, at the level of expression, stability, post-translational modification, spatial distribution and dynamic regulation of multi-protein complexes.
· Experimental strategies will utilise the basic tools of molecular cell biology, as well as state-of-the-art technologies such as real-time fluorescence imaging, proteomics, genomics and appropriate cellular and animal models.
· Recruitment of new staff will augment and expand these activities by either contributing distinct expertise or novel areas of research that relate to the broad aspects of the cancer phenotype mentioned above.
· The translational potential of research programmes, which has been under-exploited in the past, will constantly be monitored and actively expanded in the future. A translational research facilitator with responsibilities in this area will be appointed.
Will be held on June 20 – Wednesday June 23 2004, Glasgow. See the International Conferences in Glasgow listings for details.
Also see Cancer Research UK Beatson Laboratories website
A 21st century West of Scotland Cancer Centre, based at Gartnavel Hospital is planned to open in 2007. Phase I of the £100m Treasury-funded development (the Tom Wheldon Building) is already in operation and houses five new linear accelerators. Phase II will provide floor space totalling around 22,500 square metres and will accommodate 173 in-patient beds for oncology, haemato-oncology, bone marrow transplant and brachytherapy.
There will be 45 day-case spaces, mainly for chemotherapy, and a further seven linear accelerator chambers.
There will be CT and MRI imaging, CT and conventional simulators, clinical research and trials units, outpatient consulting suites and the range of support services, including Radiotherapy Physics, Pharmacy, Medical Records and dedicated education facilities.
The existing Beatson Oncology Centre is the largest non-surgical cancer unit in Scotland, and delivers a full range of specialist oncology services. There is a significant research portfolio, and staff are supported to undertake clinical studies.
It operates as a division of NHS Greater Glasgow, and works closely with four other health board areas - NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Argyll & Clyde and NHS Forth Valley. It serves a population of 2.8m, and has clinical links with 17 hospitals across the region.
As Scotland’s largest non-surgical cancer treatment centre (and the second-largest in the UK), the Beatson Oncology Centre has a varied workload. Each year, the clinical teams see more than 8,000 new patients and over 15,000 courses of chemotherapy and 6,000 courses of radiotherapy are administered.
The centre currently is based on two sites in the city of Glasgow – at the Western Infirmary and Gartnavel General Hospital
For further information about the new Beatson, please contact Project Manager Stephen Baker on or e-mail him at .
Also see Beatson Oncology website
Dr Vivienne Hughes will conduct research into a gene that could be used to target treatment directly at breast cancer cells. The Gunnar Nilsson Cancer Treatment Trust Fund has provided funding for the collaborative project between the University of Glasgow and the Beatson Oncology Centre (BOC).
The project is formally entitled: 'Radio-isotope imaging and therapy in patients with breast carcinomas which express the sodium iodide symporter gene'.
It will involve the laboratory-based examination of tumour samples to establish the presence of the gene, which is believed to be over-expressed in breast tumours, and clinical trials to explore the possibility of directly delivering chemical treatments to affected cells.
See Nexxus News for further details
Glasgow and the surrounding area is being promoted as a world-class base for oncology practice and research. A multi-media cd-rom entitled The West of Scotland Cancer Collaboration has been produced to highlight the strong links that exist between clinicians, scientists, academics and researchers across the region. It will be used to support recruitment, and to illustrate the considerable developments that are taking place in locally based centres of oncology excellence.
See Nexxus News for further details
Opened in April 2003, the £2 million centre - the largest academic facility of its type in Britain - will herald a new era of high-speed research that will bring Scottish-made medicines to more cancer patients than ever before.
Scientists in the Cancer Research UK Formulation Unit will take promising new drug discoveries and turn them into a form that can be tested in patients; for instance a tablet, capsule or injectable solution. The Unit will be a vital bridge between the bench and the bedside, helping to ensure that new cancer treatments reach patients as quickly as possible.
The original unit, founded in 1983, has handled around 100 different compounds and manufactured over a million units of medicine, used to treat 10,000 people with cancer in Britain and across the world. But the equipment is ageing and the facilities cramped, sparking the charity’s decision to build a brand new, state-of-the-art facility.
Housed within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Strathclyde, the new facility will have superb premises for sterile drug production and quality control testing, allowing it to produce up to five times as many drugs in a year as its predecessor.
See the University of Strathclyde – News centre for further details
In February 2003 the University received a funding boost from Scottish Enterprise to aid the development of a unique ultrasonic sensor device.
Funding under Scottish Enterprise’s ‘Proof of Concept Awards’ sees the University developing a unique sensor device to meet the requirements of several areas within the $4.5bn global market for ultrasound sensors and systems.
The device will have a significant and immediate impact on the sensor market, enabling users to obtain more detailed, sharper images dramatically enhancing the capabilities of biomedical diagnosis, underwater sonar and non-destructive testing (NDT).
A particular example of the use of the new device is in the treatment of prostate cancer. This is the most common cancer amongst men in the UK, with more than 24,000 new cases, and over 9,000 deaths, recorded annually. Current treatment options are chemotherapy or invasive surgery, which can be traumatic experiences for the sufferer and carry potential side effects.
Research into how ultrasound can be used for both treatment and diagnosis of this condition is particularly promising. Treatment involves focusing energy on the tumour generating heat, which in turn kills off the cancerous cells. Current ultrasonic treatment requires the use of two separate medical devices: one for imaging, to trace the tumour and the extent of treatment required; and the other for therapy, generating the heat that destroys the cancerous cells.
The new device being investigated with Scottish Enterprise Proof of Concept funding will be particularly useful for imaging. Seen with ultrasound, the differences between cancerous and healthy tissue are quite limited. The increased performance of Paisley’s new device will be ideal to make the differences clearer. In turn, this may lead to high performance systems enabling therapy and imaging simultaneously, enhancing the quality and accuracy of treatment and reducing treatment discomfort levels for prostate cancer sufferers.
Current cancer research in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences includes:
The research group headed by Professor John Craft investigates the disease mainly in breast but also in bladder. Recent observations indicate that current hypotheses of cancer aetiology are simplistic and clonal expansion does not adequately describe the process. They have also used p53 to demonstrate the heterogeneity of breast tumours and have identified a chromosomal locus for a tumour suppressor gene involved in up to 70% of breast tumours.
Dr Chris Bartholomew’s team have been investigating critical genetic defects that occur in leukaemia progression. They have been involved in identifying and characterising a novel gene, designated EVI1, which plays a critical role in the progression of some acute myeloid leukaemias and myelodysplasias. Expression of this gene becomes readily detectable mainly in those leukaemias with non-random, frequently recurring chromosome translocations involving chromosome 3q26 where the EVI1 gene resides.
For further information see the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Hannah Biomedical constitutes the major part of the Hannah Research Institute with two integrated programmes of research:
The latter programme aims to identify key factors responsible for controlling cell fate in tissues of clinical significance, particularly the mammary gland, prostate and pancreatic beta-cells where there are links between lifestyle and disease.
Hannah Biomedical is also involved in the following collaborative programmes:
European COST Action B20 on Mammary Development, Function and Cancer
European Commission Research Training Network on Mammary Developmental Mechanisms and their Relation to Breast Cancer Progression
For further information see the Hannah Research Institute website
Crusade was founded in December 1999 as a joint venture company between a Venture Capital Group, Glasgow University and Cancer Research Ventures expressly to expand and accelerate the basic and clinical research of Professor Moira Brown and her team at the University of Glasgow.
With an active research and clinical trials base at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow Scotland, Crusade Laboratories is now a world leader in the development of herpes simplex virus (HSV) for the treatment of cancer.
Using HSV1716, a modified virus to selectively kill tumour cells, Crusade has taken a biotherapy product from conception to Phase I and II clinical trials with GTAC (Gene Therapy Advisory Committee) and MCA (Medicines Control Agency) approval. Crusade has also gained approval for trials in other cancer indications and these are now in progress.
For further information see Crusade Laboratories website
Tessman Technology Ltd is a contract research organisation focused on the development of investigational agents to treat cancer. The company which is based in Glasgow, Scotland, employs about 20 people including project managers, clinical research associates, clinical trial assistants and administrative personnel. Tessman Technology Ltd offers a range of services to the pharmaceutical industry including strategic planning, drug development, consultation, clinical trial clearance, conduct of phase I - III clinical trials including selection of investigators, post marketing clinical studies and preparation of registration documentation.
For further information see Tessman Technology Ltd website
ProPharma provide drug formulation and contract sterile drug manufacturing services to the bio-pharma industry, with global clients: Europe, USA and Japan.
ProPharma offer pre-formulation and formulation services for various drug types: peptides, proteins, small organic molecules etc. ProPharma develop liquid, lyophilised and other formulations and can formulate cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic drugs.
ProPharma have an analytical team specialising is HPLC assay method development and validation for use in formulation development and long-term testing of clinical trials materials.
ProPharma manufacture aseptic batches of clinical trials materials. There are 3 clean rooms, 2 of which were comissioned in late 2002. They have dedicated cytotoxic and non-cytotoxic clean rooms. All clean rooms operate to cGMP and are inspected by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and have integrated freeze-driers for lyophilised batches. They have an MCA Specials Licence.
ProPharma have ICH guideline compliant stability cabinets for short and long-term studies.
For further information see ProPharma website
Glasgow University School for Cancer Studies
Division of Cancer Sciences and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow
Neuro-Oncology and Biotherapies Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow
Sir Henry Wellcome Functional Genomics Facility
Cancer Research UK Beatson Laboratories
Beatson Oncology Centre
University of Glasgow and BOC Collaborative Breast Cancer Project
The West of Scotland Cancer Collaboration
Cancer Research UK Formulation Unit, University of Strathclyde
Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University
Hannah Research Institute
Crusade Laboratories
Tessman Technology Ltd
ProPharma
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