The first patient has been dosed using a new drug aimed at improving treatment options for melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and re-sensitising patients with checkpoint therapy-resistant tumours The IMP-MEL clinical trial began in Oxford with its first patient being dosed with the ... READ MORE
News for Cancer
Oxford Cancer launched at the University of Oxford
Oxford Cancer has been launched to represent and coordinate cancer research in Oxford. The pan-divisional initiative has been launched at the University of Oxford, bringing together the collective force of cancer research, outreach and care that happen across the city. With more than 900 ... READ MORE
Study investigating targeted drug delivery by focused ultrasound for pancreatic cancer opens
University of Oxford researchers have begun recruitment to a study looking at whether chemotherapy medication can reach pancreatic tumours more effectively if encapsulated within a heat-sensitive shell and triggered with focused ultrasound. The Phase I PanDox study, which is supported by the ... READ MORE
Oxford wins government funding to evaluate prostate cancer detection system
A prostate cancer detection software system to help pathologists quickly identify suspicious areas of tissue, developed by the digital diagnostic company Paige, will be investigated in a multicentre clinical study led by the University of Oxford as part of a successful NHSX Artificial Intelligence ... READ MORE
AI endoscopy enables 3D surface measurements of pre-cancerous condition in oesophagus
Clinicians and engineers in Oxford have begun using artificial intelligence alongside endoscopy to get more accurate readings of the pre-cancerous condition Barrett’s oesophagus and so determine patients most at risk of developing cancer. In a research paper published in the journal ... READ MORE
Artificial intelligence tool for streamlining pathology workflow
A multidisciplinary team comprising University of Oxford academics and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) pathologists has developed an algorithm that automates requests for additional investigation of diagnostically uncertain prostate biopsies. The team were supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC ... READ MORE
New clinical prediction tools for myeloma developed
University of Oxford researchers have developed new clinical prediction models for use in primary care with the aim of accelerating the diagnosis of myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Myeloma caused 117,077 deaths worldwide in 2020. Earlier diagnosis improves the rate of survival but ... READ MORE
Classification system uncovers new information about ovarian cancers
An Oxford-based ovarian cancer specialist has published a paper outlining a new classification which categorises different subtypes of cells and determines which ones can lead to more severe cancer outcomes. This approach, dubbed the ‘Oxford Classification of Carcinoma of the Ovary’ or ‘Oxford ... READ MORE
Using AI to improve the quality of endoscopy videos
A multidisciplinary team of researchers has developed a deep-learning framework for improving endoscopy to aid the detection of cancer and other gastrointestinal diseases. Cancers detected at an earlier stage have a much higher chance of being treated successfully. The main method for ... READ MORE
New melanoma drug a step closer to the clinic
A new anti-tumour immune response drug for patients with metastatic melanoma has given positive results in clinical trials conducted by the University of Oxford and the UK biotech company Immunocore. The trials into the use of tebentafusp for metastatic uveal melanoma mean the drug could now be ... READ MORE
$410 million buy-out for Oxford cancer detection technology
Oxford biotechnology spin-out company Base Genomics has been acquired by the US early cancer detection company Exact Sciences for $410 million. Base Genomics, which was launched in June 2020, is based on Dr Chunxiao Song’s innovative TET-assisted pyridine borane sequencing (TAPS) ... READ MORE
Minimal risk of catching COVID-19 as a result of endoscopy, study finds
More than 6,000 patients who underwent endoscopy at 18 NHS hospitals since the start of pandemic have been tested and none contracted COVID as a result of the procedure, a study involving clinicians from Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust has found. Clinicians hope the ... READ MORE
Eight BRC projects get RCF funding
Eight Oxford BRC proposals, many covering a number of themes, have been awarded NIHR Research Capability Funding (RCF) funding to take forward key areas of research. The selected projects that will be supported include: Developing a research centre devoted to urgent and acute careThe ... READ MORE
Home colorectal cancer tests could prioritise patients for referral
Non-invasive home-based tests that detect blood in patient stool samples offer an accurate and appropriate triaging method for GPs, according to University of Oxford researchers. The study, which is already informing a redesign of the colorectal cancer pathway at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) ... READ MORE
Study sheds light on breast cancer risk after pre-invasive disease
Women who are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (known as DCIS) during breast screening go on to experience higher risks of developing breast cancer and of death from breast cancer, compared with the general population, according to a study by Oxford researchers. DCIS is a disease where ... READ MORE
BRC cancer lead elected Royal Society Fellow
The NIHR Oxford BRC’s Theme Lead for Cancer, Professor Xin Lu, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, in recognition of her contribution to cancer biology. As well as her role with the Oxford BRC, Xin Lu is Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Oxford Branch in the ... READ MORE
Seven new Senior Fellows named
The Oxford BRC is delighted to announce the appointment of seven new Senior Research Fellows, the second cohort of emerging research leaders to receive the accolade. The selection process was a coordinated effort by the Oxford BRC and its partners in the NIHR Oxford Health BRC, which focuses on ... READ MORE
Study suggests immune system plays key role in survival after pancreatic cancer surgery
Researchers in Oxford have found that an individual’s immune system – and in particular the presence of T-cells amongst tumour cells - may play an important role in survival after surgery to remove pancreatic cancer. The study by the University of Oxford’s Department of Oncology and Kennedy ... READ MORE
Ultrasound and nanomedicine offer new hope for improving effects of cancer drugs
In a breakthrough that allows the more precise targeting of drugs at cancers, a University of Oxford team has used ultrasound and lipid drug carriers to remotely trigger and enhance the delivery of a cancer drug in humans for the first time. The study was conducted by researchers from the ... READ MORE
Health minister visits Oxford BRC
The Health Minister, Lord O'Shaughnessy, visited the NIHR Oxford BRC on Wednesday 30 May to take a look at the ground-breaking research that is taking place in the fields of cancer and genomics. He was accompanied on the tour by Oxford BRC Director Prof Keith Channon and Head of Research ... READ MORE