Publication Highlights: August 2020
Patients affected by recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa often develop life-threatening, aggressive skin cancer (SCCRDEB) with limited treatment options. Jasbani Dayal, Gareth Inman and colleagues found that although the response to blocking endogenous TGFβ signalling was diverse in SCCDREB samples, the treatment predominantly stopped cancer cell proliferation (in British Journal of Dermatology). This offers potential therapeutic benefits to these patients but clinical trials will need to proceed with caution due to the tumour-proliferative effects seen in a small number of patients.
Update on our volunteers
02 September 2020
Beatson scientists continue to support and volunteer at the University of Glasgow's Lighthouse Lab COVID-19 testing centre. Over 20 scientists from 12 of the Institute's different research groups and advanced technologies teams have volunteered their expertise, day and night, and the Lighthouse Lab team has recently passed the milestone of over 1,000,000 samples processed.
July 2020 Publication Highlights
31st July 2020
Jamie Whitelaw, Karthic Swaminathan, Laura Machesky and co-authors show in their study in Cells that the WAVE regulatory complex (WRC) is required for cell mobility, as seen for example in cancer spread. When one of WRC's components, Nckap1, was deleted, cells were unable to form sheet-like projections at their front edge and the turnover of their anchoring system was reduced, resulting in the slowing down of the cells' forward speed. This demonstrates a clear role of WRC in the ability of cells to migrate.
June 2020 Publication Highlights
3rd July 2020
Ed Roberts was co-first author on a paper with colleagues from UCSF in Cancer Cell (Visualizing synaptic transfer of tumor antigens among dendritic cells), which describes how dendritic cells (DCs) transport tumour antigens to the lymph node within vesicles, which they then transfer to other resident DCs. Only DCs containing these vesicles can then activate T cells, which go on to infiltrate the tumour. Understanding these early steps in the development of anti-tumour immunity could ultimately lead to better treatments for cancer.
Round up of the latest volunteer stories
15th June 2020
The Beatson is extremely proud of all of our scientists who are volunteering in the Lighthouse Lab testing centre in Glasgow and supporting efforts to tackle COVID-19. Here is a round up of some of their stories, which you can currently find in the Scottish press:
Dave Bryant inspiring people to Race for Life at Home
14th May 2020
Dr Dave Bryant, one of our scientists here at the Beatson, is doing all he can to support Cancer Research UK's Race For Life At Home. He is encouraging everyone to take part in a challenge at home to raise vital funds for life-saving cancer research. But he and his husband, Zachary Claudino have also set themselves a Race For Life At Home challenge of their own, to run for 30 minutes every day together during their daily exercise with their pet dog, Lucy.
See inside Scotland's COVID-19 testing lab
23rd April 2020
BBC News has been inside the new Glasgow Lighthouse Lab, a collaboration between the University of Glasgow, the private sector, the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute and the NHS. Several researchers from the Beatson as well as colleagues from the Institute of Cancer Sciences are volunteering in lab, including Jo Birch, Jodie Hay, Nati Gomez-Roman, Grant McGregor, Lynn McGarry and Natasha Malik.
Glasgow Lighthouse Lab begins COVID-19 testing
22nd April 2020
It was announced today (22 April 2020) that a major new COVID-19 testing facility, the Lighthouse Laboratory in Glasgow, has opened in collaboration with the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute.
Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute helping in the fight against COVID-19
03rd April 2020
The University of Glasgow has announced it will host a major COVID-19 testing centre at its Clinical Innovation Zone at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow as part of efforts to combat the pandemic [see BBC News 2 April 2020]. The Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute has been playing its part, in partnership with the University, to get the laboratory up and running by donating PCR machines and vital reagents, and several Institute staff members will be volunteering their time and expertise once testing begins in mid-April.
Institute Director, Owen Sansom said: "I couldn't be more pleased for the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute to be helping NHS colleagues in this way, as well as the local community which has been so supportive of the Institute's work over many years. Just as with cancer research, this fight is about everyone working together to make a difference."
Integrating Cancer Imaging Biomarker Clinical Research Across the UK
26th March 2020
UK National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA) establishes infrastructure for validation and adoption of cancer imaging biomarkers as decision-making tools in clinical trials and NHS practice.
Institute closes in response to COVID-19 crisis
23rd March 2020
Message from Professor Owen Sansom, Director of the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute, to all of our colleagues and supporters in light of the COVID-19 crisis:
These are difficult and challenging times for everyone and from Monday, 23rd March 2020, the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute will be closed for all but the most essential laboratory work. With the exception of a small core of staff engaged in this essential work, all of our staff and students will be working from home.
Beatson Scientist wins Activate Challenge
04th February 2020
The Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute hosted the CRUK Activate Challenge Final, together with our partners Converge who run various business challenges open to young entrepreneurs in Scotland. The Activate Challenge is part of an initiative to encourage a culture of entrepreneurship among CRUK's researchers.
Glasgow scientist who survived cancer launches World Cancer Day in Scotland
29th January 2020
A GLASGOW cancer scientist who himself survived the disease as a child has been chosen as the face of a new campaign designed to save lives.
Joining forces with Novartis to advance novel cancer therapeutics
26th October 2019
The Beatson Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) has recently entered into a collaboration with Novartis to progress its ground-breaking work on the development of KRAS inhibitors.
Payam Gammage joins the Beatson Institute
14th August 2019
The Beatson Institute is delighted to welcome Dr Payam Gammage as a Junior Group Leader. Payam joins the Institute from the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge where he developed methods to manipulate mitochondrial DNA and applied them to study mitochondrial dysfunction in cell and animal models.
Julia Cordero awarded Pioneer Award
23rd May 2019
The Institute of Cancer Science’s Dr Julia Cordero has been awarded a Cancer Research UK Pioneer Award. These awards fund innovative, higher-risk ideas that could revolutionise our understanding of cancer.
Making more proteins for drug discovery research
1st May 2019
Beatson Institute researchers have unravelled a new way to maximise the production of important cancer-related proteins for study in the laboratory. This work, led by Dr Chris Gray of the Institute’s Drug Discovery Programme, has demonstrated that subtle changes to the genetic instructions given to bacterial protein factories can dramatically improve the recovery of high-quality proteins.
The work has been published in PLoS One.
These findings refine and optimise current recombinant technologies, used globally for the production of proteins for the laboratory and the clinic. As a consequence of this discovery, larger amounts of key reagents can be delivered to our drug discovery programmes, accelerating the development of new therapies.
Click here to read more about the Drug Discovery Programme.
Ed Roberts joins the Beatson Institute
17th April 2019
The Beatson Institute is very pleased to welcome Dr Ed Roberts as a new Junior Group Leader. Ed joins the Institute from UCSF, where he studied a class of immune cell called migratory dendritic cells and the role they play in the body’s response to cancer, and specifically how these cells communicate with the lymph nodes.
Two recent major projects
17th April 2019
Beatson Institue Director Owen Sansom has been interviewed by Bowel Cancer UK about an exciting project he is leading that aims to improve outcomes for bowel cancer patients. Click here to read the interview.
Another major project Owen is involved in - which aims to find out why different gene faults only cause cancer in particular parts of the body - has been covered by Cancer Research UK's blog.
Johan Vande Voorde 'Walking All Over Cancer'
11th April 2019
In March, Beatson scientist Dr Johan Vande Voorde called on Scots to walk 10,000 steps a day to help raise money for Cancer Research UK's Walk All Over Cancer campaign. Johan and his loyal sidekick Sookie were chosen to launch the fundraising challenge in Scotland.
