Sheffield Cancer Research Centre Newsletter
Issue 1 – April 2013
Welcome to the SCRC Newsletter
The newsletter is for sharing information on activities and developments. There are sections on news;
awards, achievements; and events. We hope you find the newsletter informative and useful. If you have
any information or news you would like to share with colleagues in the Centre then please contact
Lance Burn (l.burn@sheffield.ac.uk) or Deborah Reid (deborah.reid@sheffield.ac.uk)
News
Professor Angie Cox is a member of the EU
Network COGS (Collaborative Oncological Geneenvironment Study) and contributed to the recent
publication of articles in Nature Genetics. More
than 80 genetic ’spelling mistakes’ that can increase
the risk of breast, prostate and ovarian cancer have
been found in a large, international research study
within the framework of the EU Network COGS. For
the first time, the researchers also have a relatively
clear picture of the total number of genetic
alterations that can be linked to these cancers.
Ultimately the researchers hope to be able to
calculate the individual risk of cancer, to better
understand how these cancers develop and to be
able to generate new treatments.
The main findings are published in five articles in a special issue on genetic risk factors for cancer in
the prestigious scientific journal Nature Genetics. The articles originate from COGS, an EU-based
consortium where more than 160 research groups from all over the world are included. In the five
COGS studies 100,000 patients with breast, ovarian or prostate cancer and 100,000 healthy individuals
from the general population were included.
The scientists performed genetic analyses on all study participants. The composition of the nitrogen
bases A, G, C and T was studied on 200,000 selected sections of the DNA strand. When cancer
patients had significantly different compositions compared to healthy control subjects, the
differences were considered to be relevant to risk of disease. The alterations can be described as a
genetic ‘spelling mistake’, where A, G, C or T have been replaced with another letter. This spelling
mistake is called Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) – pronounced ‘snip’.
For breast cancer the researchers found 49 genetic typos or SNPs, which is more than double the
number previously found. In the case of prostate cancer, researchers have discovered another 26
deviations, which means that a total number of 78 SNPs may be linked to the disease. For ovarian
cancer 8 new relevant SNPs were found.
SNPs are part of our natural heritage, we all have them. How it affects the individual depends on where
on the DNA strand the genetic deviation is found. The researchers now hope to be able to evaluate the
importance of the identified deviations, so that it will be possible to more clearly predict which
individuals are at high risk of developing one of these cancers.
“We’re now on the verge of being able to use our knowledge to develop tests that could complement
breast cancer screening and take us a step closer to having an effective prostate cancer screening
programme’’, says Professor Doug Easton of the University of Cambridge, UK, who has led several of
the presented studies.
http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v45/n4/full/ng.2587.html
Events
5th May – The Cancer Clinical Trials Centre takes on…The Maldon Mud Race – Proceeds to Weston
Park Cancer Charity. Please sponsor by visiting https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/cctc
Events cont…
7th May – YCR Goes to the Dogs - Executive Box, Owlerton Stadium – Tickets £15 which includes:
Admission, Racecard, Pint of Beer/Glass of Wine, Indian Cuisine, £1 Jackpot bet, free return admission
voucher. Please email Sarah or Anil at ycrsheffield@gmail.com
9th June - Race for Life, Sheffield – this year’s event is to be held at the Meadowhall Shopping Centre
starting at 9.30am. If you would like to join the SCRC team, please contact Mrs Louise Goss –
telephone 0114 271 3326, email l.goss@sheffield.ac.uk. If you would like to help at any of the following
stands: YCR, WPHCC, CR-UK, please contact Mr Andy Wilson – email andy.wilson@cruk.org.uk or Dr
Lance Burn – telephone 0114 271 3516, email l.burn@sheffield.ac.uk
Race for Life 2012 Team
26th July - CR-UK/YCR Sheffield Cancer Research Centre Summer BBQ – 4:30 until late, venue Dam
House Restaurant. Final details TBC.
Diary Dates
Seminar Series – for information, please see: http://www.shef.ac.uk/sheffield-cancer-researchcentre/news-and-events/seminar-series
5th July 2013 – ‘Translational Cancer Research – from Lab to Clinic’ Workshop – This workshop is to be
held at The Ridge, Ranmoor Student Village, Sheffield from 10.00am to 16.30pm. The aims of this
workshop are:
1. To educate clinicians and scientists on how to translate laboratory discoveries into the clinic.
2. To showcase Centre / ECMC successes to invited stakeholders (Industry, NCRN, CR-UK, YCR).
3. To share best practice and develop collaborative links.
Registration can be made at http://www.shef.ac.uk/sheffield-cancer-research-centre/news-andevents/tcr-booking-form
13th September 2013 - Neuro Oncology – This workshop is to be held at SiTraN from 12.30pm to
17.30pm (details to follow). Please save the date: http://www.shef.ac.uk/sheffield-cancer-researchcentre/workshops
11th October 2013 - SCRC - INSIGNEO Workshop – This workshop is to be held at The Edge from
10.00am to 17.00pm (details to follow). Please save the date: http://www.shef.ac.uk/sheffield-cancerresearch-centre/workshops
28th February 2014 – Annual Cancer Research Forum – please save the date, details to follow.
External Events
23rd – 28th June 2013 - 2nd Summer School on Computational Oncology – This event is to be held at
Schloss Dagstuhl in Wadern, Germany. This summer school will provide basic training in the new
research dimension of computational oncology in the context of the fast evolving
cancer modeling and validation advances within personalized medicine. For further information
regarding the registration process, the venue and the programme, please visit
www.computationaloncology.org
25th – 28th June 2013 – EACR Summer Conference: Cancer Genomics – This conference is to be held
at Churchill College, Cambridge. Keynote speakers include Sam Aparicio – Canada, Shankar
Balasubramania – UK, Ann-Lise Borresen-Dale – Norway. The objective of the conference will be to
cover recent and exciting developments in Cancer Genomics, as well as to provide an overview of the
field. It will bring together scientists from different disciplines, such as cancer biology, translational
research, bioinformatics, and epigenomics. For further information please click
www.eacr.org/cancergenomics2013
4th July 2013 - Academy of Medical Sciences Run Workshop - Want to present your research and ideas
effectively in front of an audience or funding panel? Want to get better at balancing your clinical and
academic responsibilities? Do you need to take a step back and remind yourself what you want from
your career? The workshop is especially aimed at postdoctoral researchers. Places are free. For more
information and o book, please contact: Selda Boztepe, Programme Officer, Academy of Medical
Sciences, selda.boztepe@acmedsci.ac.uk or 020 3176 2162.
Internal Funding Opportunities
The CR-UK/YCR Sheffield Cancer Research Centre has a funding scheme to support consumables for
Academic F2 and Academic Clinical Fellow Projects - http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffield-cancerresearch-centre/funding-opportunities/af2-acf-project-funding
The Scheme will provide a consumable budget for Academic F2s and Academic Clinical Fellows doing
research projects - £6,000 maximum. There is no deadline for this call. Please submit your application
to Dr Lance Burn (l.burn@sheffield.ac.uk).
Further Funding Opportunities
CR-UK Career Establishment Awards. This Award supports the best new non-clinical and clinical
investigators to develop their independent career in cancer research. Successful applicants will have
shown scientific excellence and originality in their career to date, but will not have had the core support
to establish their own research group in a cancer-relevant field. The Award provides five years of
funding to investigators who are in their first Higher Education Funding Council-funded post at a UK
university. For further information: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/science/funding/find-grant/allfunding-schemes/career-establishment-award/