This episode features a round-up of the best of the first series of Cancer Research Matters. It features some of the fantastic researchers that we have interviewed over the past year – including Professor Steve Jackson, Professor Ruth Plummer, Dr Simon Boulton, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Professor Karen Vousden, Professor Richard Gilbertson and Professor Charles Swanton. In this episode I tease out four themes that emerged over this first series that give some interesting insights into how we work as scientists, research leaders and research translators.&nbsp;

Careers and the cutting edge – four themes from a year of cancer research leaders 

Cancer Research Matters, a new Podcast from Cancer Research UK featuring some of the incredible researchers behind cancer research. The idea is to drive and provoke conversation around cancer science, how it shapes our understanding of the disease and the challenges we face as we develop therapies.The first series focusses on the 20th anniversary of CRUK – we’ll be winding back the clock on some of the great discoveries and breakthroughs made in the past two decades and asking some leading names where they think we’ll be in another 20 years. This episode features Dr Simon Boulton. Simon is a leader in the field of DNA damage sensing, repair and telomere maintenance. He is Principal Group Leader and Assistant Research Director of translation at the Francis Crick Institute, and Director of RadNet, City of London – a CRUK initiative focused on improving radiation treatment for cancer patients. Simon is also co-founder and Vice President of Science Strategy of the spin-out Artios Pharma and Chair of CRUK’s Discovery Research Committee.He talks about the dawn of the field of DNA damage repair, why an entrepreneurial approach to your research is so valuable and the importance of venture capital in the innovation landscape.&nbsp; Useful linksExplore the formation of Artios Pharma and the role of Cancer Research Horizons in translation<a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/11/05/taking-on-dna-repair-to-tackle-cancer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/11/05/taking-on-dna-repair-to-tackle-cancer/</a> Explore RadNet. Whether you’re a cancer biologist, health professional, engineer or physical scientist, RadNet is an exciting and rewarding opportunity to apply your expertise and knowledge<a href="https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/our-research-infrastructure/radnet-our-radiation-research-network" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/our-research-infrastructure/radnet-our-radiation-research-network</a> Register your interest for the CRUK-ARR Radiation Research Conference <a href="https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=L4lzROBx_EaN7Cc5ArUTSeNZ7IzS7O9ItRV1smdjkd1UMDBYRUI1SzRPSThYNTZEUDhSSzZSSUJKVi4u " rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=L4lzROBx_EaN7Cc5ArUTSeNZ7IzS7O9ItRV1smdjkd1UMDBYRUI1SzRPSThYNTZEUDhSSzZSSUJKVi4u </a> Find out how Cancer Research Horizons can help you translate your work<a href="https://www.cancerresearchhorizons.com/collaborate-us/researchers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancerresearchhorizons.com/collaborate-us/researchers</a> Listen to Professor Steve Jackson on a previous episode<a href="https://shows.acast.com/cancer-research-matters/episodes/translation-tales-20-years-of-forming-spinout" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://shows.acast.com/cancer-research-matters/episodes/translation-tales-20-years-of-forming-spinout</a>

Break beat – 20 years of understanding genomic instability 

This episode features Professor Charles Swanton. Charlie is Cancer Research UK's Chief Clinician and his lab at the Francis Crick Institute studies lung cancer tumour heterogeneity and maps the evolutionary pathways at work as cancers evolve and change. He talks about the profound changes in the way the research community thinks about lung cancer, the power of the translational mind-set and delves into the flagship project, TRACERx. He also talks briefly about his lab’s growing interest in the mechanistic links between air pollution and lung cancer in never smokers. Useful linksExplore how Cancer Research Horizons can help you translate your work<a href="https://www.cancerresearchhorizons.com/our-expertise/research-translation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancerresearchhorizons.com/our-expertise/research-translation</a> Read about Charlie’s work on air pollution and lung cancer&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/12/13/its-a-fair-cop-why-our-chief-clinician-went-to-a-climate-change-summit/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/12/13/its-a-fair-cop-why-our-chief-clinician-went-to-a-climate-change-summit/</a> ScottishPower and Cancer Research UK, working together for a greener, healthier futureOur longstanding partner ScottishPower is helping us shine a light on the role air pollution plays in cancer and are covering the cost of a study called TOPICAL.&nbsp;ScottishPower is 100% committed to helping tackle climate change and our partnership reflects our shared interest in a greener, healthier future.

Stigma, hope and TRACERx: 20 years of understanding lung cancer 

Cancer Research Matters, a new Podcast from Cancer Research UK featuring some of the incredible researchers behind cancer research. The idea is to drive and provoke conversation around cancer science, how it shapes our understanding of the disease and the challenges we face as we develop therapies. The first series focusses on the 20th anniversary of CRUK – we’ll be winding back the clock on some of the great discoveries and breakthroughs made in the past two decades and asking some leading names where they think we’ll be in another 20 years. This episode features Professor Richard Gilbertson. Richard is a paediatric oncology clinician scientist and is the Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre. He has dedicated his career to understanding childhood brain tumours and is perhaps known best for his work identifying different types of medulloblastoma and ependymoma – two of the most common kinds of childhood brain tumour.&nbsp;He talks about the challenges and successes of the childhood cancer research community, how he sees the future of the field and some of the incredible breakthroughs his lab has made on childhood brain cancers. &nbsp; Further reading WNT signalling and brain cancer <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00401-012-0958-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00401-012-0958-8</a> <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1535610816300551" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1535610816300551</a> Read about CRUK’s data strategy <a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2022/07/07/joining-the-dots-how-our-new-research-data-strategy-will-unlock-the-power-of-big-data/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2022/07/07/joining-the-dots-how-our-new-research-data-strategy-will-unlock-the-power-of-big-data/</a>See the data strategy <a href="https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/cancer_research_uk_-_research_data_strategy.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/cancer_research_uk_-_research_data_strategy.pdf</a>

Side effects and sub-types: 20 years of understanding childhood cancer 

This episode features outgoing CRUK Chief Scientist, Professor Karen Vousden. Known for her work on the tumour suppressor protein, p53, she has also worked on HPV and cancer metabolism. She has been the director of the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, UK, and from 2016 she re-located to become a group leader at the Francis Crick Institute as well as taking up the role of Chief Scientist at CRUK. She talks about the success and challenges of work around p53, her joy at being involved in the early work around HPV, the frustrations of coming so close to a huge breakthrough and how life as a researcher has changed. Further reading on Karen’s work on p53:Article Following the <a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2009/10/04/high-impact-science-p53/?_gl=1*ejtnrt*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE2NjEyNDY4MzkuRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1JcXZ2cjh0dVQ3Z0lWbE83dENoM0JIUTlYRUFBWUFTQUFFZ0pGel9EX0J3RQ..*_gcl_dc*R0NMLjE2NjEyNDY4MzkuRUFJYUlRb2JDaE1JcXZ2cjh0dVQ3Z0lWbE83dENoM0JIUTlYRUFBWUFTQUFFZ0pGel9EX0J3RQ..*_ga*NDE0MzM1Mjk1LjE2MTg4MzIwNzQ.*_ga_58736Z2GNN*MTY2MTQyMjE4OS4xMDA2LjEuMTY2MTQyMjI1MS41OC4wLjA.&amp;_ga=2.128773132.1408675445.1661337647-414335295.1618832074&amp;_gac=1.174262934.1661246839.EAIaIQobChMIqvvr8tuT7gIVlO7tCh3BHQ9XEAAYASAAEgJFz_D_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">discovery of p53</a>p53 is strictly controlled in the normal cell, Karen discovered that a key element in this regulation is the protein Mdm2. <a href="https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(18)30208-4/fulltext" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(18)30208-4/fulltext</a>Karen’s work on oncogenes and HPV: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC402081/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC402081/</a>

Complexity and understanding - 20 years of tumour suppression with Karen Vousden

We celebrate 20 years of Cancer Research UK with Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz 

This episode features CRUK Chairman, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz. Following a distinguished academic and clinical research career, Leszek’s roles have included Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council and Vice Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is a founding Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and was awarded a Knighthood in 2001 for his pioneering work on HPV vaccines. Early teenage girls are now routinely vaccinated for HPV, with the UK having among the highest uptake worldwide. He talks about the development of the HPV vaccine, the difficulties of navigating a research career and why we must start to embrace failure… even a negative result, he says, is positive. Further reading on the HPV vaccine:Journal paper: <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02178-4/fulltext" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02178-4/fulltext</a> Article: <a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/11/03/the-power-of-science-hpv-vaccine-proven-to-dramatically-reduce-cervical-cancer/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2021/11/03/the-power-of-science-hpv-vaccine-proven-to-dramatically-reduce-cervical-cancer/</a>

The creative act of science - 20 years of leadership in cancer research

We celebrate 20 years of Cancer Research UK with Professor Sara Zanivan

This episode features Sara Zanivan. Sara is a Professor at the Beatson Institute for Cancer where she uses a number proteomics approaches to explore the tumour microenvironment. Her lab also applies their proteomics expertise and capability to develop cancer early detection approaches. Specifically, she is interested in utilising mass-spectrometry to examine how large proteomic changes could be used in the clinic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;She talks about how understanding the tumour microenvironment has developed over the past 20 years, how the techniques of proteomics have really freed researchers to ask the important questions and why we could even see mass-spec proteomics in the clinic.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Further reading on mass-spectrometry and proteomics:Journal paper:<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature01511" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/nature01511</a>Article:<a href="https://portlandpress.com/biochemist/article/42/5/64/226371/A-beginner-s-guide-to-mass-spectrometry-based" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://portlandpress.com/biochemist/article/42/5/64/226371/A-beginner-s-guide-to-mass-spectrometry-based</a>

Microenvironments and early detection - 20 years of proteomics in cancer research

We celebrate 20 years of Cancer Research UK with Professor Steve Jackson

Steve Jackson is the University of Cambridge Frederick James Quick Professor of Biology. He is also Head of Cancer Research UK Laboratories at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute. Steve’s main academic work is in the field of DNA damage repair, but he also founded KuDOS Pharmaceuticals in order to translate and market the PARP inhibitor Olaparib/ Lynparza. He talks about the difference between academic and commercial science, tips for forming a spinout company and what we should aim for in the next 20 years of cancer research. Further reading on the commercialisation of DNA repair inhibitors:Article:<a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2020/09/24/parp-inhibitors-halting-cancer-by-halting-dna-repair/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2020/09/24/parp-inhibitors-halting-cancer-by-halting-dna-repair/</a>Paper:<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03445" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03445</a> <a href="https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/translate-your-research" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Explore how we can work with you to help translate your work</a>

Translation tales - 20 years of forming spinouts 

We celebrate 20 years of Cancer Research UK with Professor Ruth Plummer

Ruth Plummer is Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at Newcastle University&nbsp;and Director of the CRUK Newcastle Cancer Centre. She talks about how the DNA repair inhibition field has changed over 20 years, her instrumental role in the development of the PARP inhibitor Rucaparib and why work/life balance is so important for the future of research life. <h2>Further reading on PARP inhibitors</h2>The development and translation of PARP inhibitors:<a href="https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2020/09/24/parp-inhibitors-halting-cancer-by-halting-dna-repair/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2020/09/24/parp-inhibitors-halting-cancer-by-halting-dna-repair/</a> Paper:<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03445" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.nature.com/articles/nature03445</a> General information on PARP inhibitors:<a href="https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/targeted-cancer-drugs/types/PARP-inhibitors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/targeted-cancer-drugs/types/PARP-inhibitors</a>

A PARPing success - 20 years of targeting DNA repair

A podcast for researchers from Cancer Research UK

A new podcast from Cancer Research UK that features some of the incredible researchers behind cancer research. We'll provoke conversation around cancer science, how it shapes our understanding of the disease and the challenges we face as we develop therapies. The first series focusses on the 20th anniversary of Cancer Research UK – we’ll be winding back the clock on some of the great discoveries and breakthroughs made in the past two decades and asking some leading names where they think we’ll be in another 20 years.