AMMF the UK’s only cholangiocarcinoma charity
Helen Morement, CEO, AMMF
More research is desperately needed for this neglected and devastating cancer
Collaboration between AMMF, the UK’s only cholangiocarcinoma charity, and University of Nottingham, for research into treatments for rare primary cancer.
STANSTED, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, May 25, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Thanks to a new collaboration between AMMF, the UK’s only cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) charity, and experts at the University of Nottingham, exciting research is underway to investigate possible treatments for this devastating primary liver cancer.
The project is based on the finding that specific proteins known as transcription factors are higher in cholangiocarcinoma and are responsible for driving tumour growth and tumour invasion. As part of the collaboration, AMMF will support PhD student, Grace Martin, from the University’s School of Medicine, along with her supervisor, Dr Sheela Jayaraman, to investigate new treatments for the disease over a 3-year period. Specifically, Grace will explore new ways to decrease the amount of these proteins in the tumour. In addition, she will also investigate how these proteins change even before the tumour is detected, in specific inflammatory conditions.
Grace and Dr Jayaraman join a larger cohort of experts and clinicians working on cholangiocarcinoma in the School of Medicine. The larger team are working towards building a centre of expertise for research into this little-understood cancer.
As Grace says, “I am grateful to get the opportunity to work on this exciting new project, thanks to receiving the AMMF funded PhD scholarship and the collaboration between the charity and the University of Nottingham. The research will provide world-leading knowledge on cholangiocarcinoma biology, which will help lead to the discovery of novel drug targets for cholangiocarcinoma. I am excited by the prospect of being able to work with experts across multiple medicine disciplines and have access to the most innovative technologies and outstanding science for my research.”
Helen Morement, CEO, AMMF, explains, “This is potentially very exciting and AMMF is delighted to be able to support this new research. We hope that the results of this work will provide not only a real step forward in improving our understanding of this cancer, but also towards some long-awaited possible improvements in treatment.”
She continues, “With increasing incidence globally, mortality parallel with that incidence and no improvement in survival for decades, cholangiocarcinoma is an under-researched, much neglected, truly devastating disease. We are delighted, therefore, to be able to support Grace and Dr Jayaraman at the School of Medicine in Nottingham in this promising work.”
Dr Jayaraman says, “I am delighted and proud to have received this AMMF funded PhD scholarship to investigate new strategies for the inhibition of bile duct cancer growth. This studentship will allow my laboratory to take forward our results identifying PRH as a new factor that promotes the growth of bile duct tumours and our data showing that there are new vulnerabilities in the tumour cells that can be targeted as a consequence of high PRH activity.”
The research will be carried out at the University’s Centre for Cancer Sciences, which opened in September 2019.
Ends
Notes to Editor:
For media inquiries and interviews, please contact Esther Porta on +44 (0)7870 439 158 or email: esther@ammf.org.uk
About AMMF
AMMF was founded and registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in 2002 (registered charity no 1091915). AMMF is the UK’s only cholangiocarcinoma charity, dedicated to tackling this devastating cancer on all fronts: providing information and support, campaigning to raise awareness, and encouraging and supporting research.
In recent years, an enormous and extremely worrying worldwide increase in cholangiocarcinoma’s incidence has been noted. In 2017, cholangiocarcinoma was the cause of death of 2,523 people in England alone1.The incidence appears to be increasing across all age groups, including younger people, and the cause of this ongoing increase is unknown. Much more research is desperately needed.
AMMF is dedicated to bringing about improvement for the cholangiocarcinoma patient, working closely throughout the UK with patients, families, carers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, researchers, politicians, and policy makers, and collaborating internationally. For more information, visit: https://www.ammf.org.uk/ (registered charity no 1091915).
1EASL 2020, Poster THU-508. https://easl.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Digital-ILC-Scientific-programme-2020-Post-COVID-19.pdf
About the University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a research-intensive university with a proud heritage, consistently ranked among the world’s top 100. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia – part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement. The University’s state-of-the-art facilities and inclusive and disability sport provision is reflected in its status as The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021 Sports University of the Year. We are ranked eighth for research power in the UK according to REF 2014. We have six beacons of research excellence helping to transform lives and change the world; we are also a major employer and industry partner – locally and globally. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, a pioneering collaboration which brings together the combined strength and civic missions of Nottingham’s two world-class universities and is working with local communities and partners to aid recovery and renewal following the COVID-19 pandemic.
About the Centre for Cancer Sciences
The Centre for Cancer Sciences is located in the BioDiscovery Institute. The Centre is a base for the University of Nottingham’s innovative Cancer Sciences degree programme.
Esther Porta
AMMF
+44 7870 439158
esther@ammf.org.uk
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