OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH STAR GIVEN CASH BOOST
28 August 2009
A rising star in the field of cancer research has been given a £168,000 boost in his quest to discover more about how ovarian cancer spreads.
Dr Daimark Bennett, 34, received the grant as part of the latest round of funding which has seen North West Cancer Research Fund hand out over £344,000 to two cancer research projects at the University of Liverpool.
The three year project will research the role of proteins in the spread of ovarian cancer, dubbed the ‘silent killer’ because of the difficulties in early detection.
Ovarian cancer is often only noticed when it has spread to other organs.
It is these ‘pathways’ that Dr Bennett’s team will be researching which could reveal a breakthrough in ways to treat the disease.
The project was deemed to be of international importance in cancer research and could provide groundbreaking results that will contribute significantly to the understanding of the disease worldwide.
7000 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, killing almost two thirds of that number - a death rate of over 70 per cent.
North West Cancer Research Fund provides the grants for research into the fundamental causes of cancer and how it spreads to aid discovery of more effective treatments of the disease.
Dr Bennett obtained his DPhil from Oxford University in 2000 before coming to Liverpool to work in the School Of Biological Sciences at the university.
He is widely considered to be one of the most promising researchers in his field of expertise.
Anne Jackson, Chief Executive of North West Cancer Research Fund, said: “We are very selective about which projects we fund. The two we have chosen this time are extremely innovative and of great importance to understanding the disease.
“We had to consider 17 different proposals from renowned researchers, all of which were exceptionally high quality – it reflects the importance with which the Fund is regarded by some of the world’s leading specialists.”
The other project granted funds at the latest North West Cancer Research Fund Scientific Committee meeting, is also being conducted at the University of Liverpool.
Dr Judy Coulson’s and Dr Sylvie Urbe’s three year project will study the role of a group of proteins called DUBs in controlling a key regulator of lung cancer. It is judged to be an important part of the fundamental understanding of the disease.
Since its inception in 1948 North West Cancer Research Fund has raised over £28million to fund research into the fundamental causes of cancer at three research centres at the Universities of Liverpool, Lancaster and Bangor.
On average, around 90p in every pound donated has been spent on actual research. At any one time, up to 30 projects are underway, each receiving an average of £95,000 for a three year study.