Funding boost for radiotherapy research team

Scientists exploring how to deliver "kinder and smarter" radiotherapy treatment have received £2.9m in funding from Cancer Research UK.

The Leeds Radiation Research Centre of Excellence (RadNet CoE) will use the money to research radiotherapy techniques which are personalised to the patient and their tumour.

Prof David Sebag-Montefiore, who leads the team, said it was "very proud" to receive the funds which would enable work to continue for a further five years.

The grant is the second wave of investment into the Cancer Research UK RadNet radiotherapy research programme, which saw Leeds chosen in 2019 as one of seven centres of excellence in the UK.

The team is made up of multidisciplinary experts from the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Radiotherapy is used as a treatment for more than 130,000 people in the UK each year, from curing early-stage cancer to easing symptoms for people with terminal illness.

In its simplest form, the treatment works by targeting tumours with X-ray radiation, killing cancer cells by irreversibly damaging their DNA.

Prof Sebag-Montefiore said: "We are very proud that Leeds has been awarded a further five years of funding, which will allow us to build on the outstanding success of RadNet and accelerate the development of biologically and physically informed personalised radiotherapy for our patients.

"Our interdisciplinary research teams will develop and translate smarter, kinder radiotherapy treatments across a broad range of cancers to replace the need for major surgery and a colostomy bag, provide shorter courses of treatment with less side effects, and tailor the choice of treatment."

Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, added: "This funding marks a new phase of our RadNet network, advancing research which will further accelerate improvements in radiotherapy treatment in the clinic.

"It will work alongside our investments in pioneering radiotherapy clinical trials to ensure more people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”

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