Dr Prabhakar Rajan from Cancer Research UK’s Beatson Institute at the University of Glasgow has been awarded a prestigious Clinician Scientist Fellowship as part of a series of grants awarded to gifted clinicians involved in turning promising lab research into new treatments for cancer patients.

 Dr Prabhakar Rajan

Dr Rajan is finding ways to treat prostate cancer that has started to spread to other parts of the body. He is the first surgeon in the West of Scotland to have been given an award specifically to allow him to initiate his own research.

He said: “I’m extremely grateful to Cancer Research UK and their generous supporters for this Clinician Scientist Fellowship.  With this essential funding, I will be able to develop my own independent and novel research programme to study how cancer cells spread by changing the way they express their genes, thereby pursuing my passion to identify effective treatments for advanced prostate cancer.”

Professor Philip Johnson, who is based at the University of Birmingham and is chair of the Clinical Fellowships Review Panel, said: “The quality of applications this year was very high and, although it was extremely difficult to choose, we’re confident that we have found four exceptional researchers. These Clinician Scientists are going to be crucial in taking our fundamental understanding about cancers and using it to help the people that they meet in the clinic. The support from Cancer Research UK will allow them to combine their research and their clinical work and have a real impact on patients with cancer.”

Clinician Scientist Fellowships are awarded to up and coming health professionals to support them in carrying out research that will bridge the gap between the laboratory bench and the bedside, speeding up the process of bringing new medical advances to patients. For more information see: http://science.cancerresearchuk.org/funding/find-grant/all-funding-schemes/clinician-scientist-fellowship/

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First published: 2 August 2012

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