Case study involving animal research at the University of Glasgow - Cancer
For us to be able to stop cancer recurrence and spread, we need excellent predictive models that recapitulate human cancer to allow us to be able to work out the significance of targeting different cells in the tumour microenvironment.
In 2019, Professor Owen Sansom's team at the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute and University of Glasgow developed for the first time novel mouse models of colorectal cancer that are reminiscent of the worst prognostic subtypes of the disease. This was a significant unmet need in the colorectal cancer field. Importantly, work is now underway to translate this clinically for both colon and rectal cancer within the Colorectal Cancer Accelerator platform funded by Cance Research UK and led from Glasgow by Professor Sansom.
Overall, animal work in this study has allowed a significant scientific advance, which could be exploited clinically, and established mouse models that will allow the international research community to study the biology of advanced cancer in much greater depth.