Dr David Church
Advances in technology mean that we now have an unprecedented ability to identify the molecular alterations that drive cancer growth and spread. While many of these alterations are likely to be associated with differences in prognosis or probability of treatment benefit, current analytical methods are inadequate to confirm this in cases where the alteration is uncommon, or in cases where multiple alterations are present. In the Precision Biomarkers sub-theme, we will develop new statistical methods to address this challenge. Our aim is to realise the potential of new technologies to refine care for patients with cancer, and in so, doing reduce both under- and over- treatment. In addition to improving cancer care, the methods we seek to develop should be applicable to other disease types, and thus help to achieve the ambition of Precision Medicine more broadly.