The Chair of Thoracic Medical Oncology, Professor Dean Fennell, has received the senior research award at the 16th International Conference of the IMIG (International Mesothelioma Interest Group).The prize is awarded to individuals who have published world-leading research over the past two years.
Professor Fennell is a clinician scientist in the Hope Cancer Trials centre, focussing on clinical and translational research in the field of mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, with cases having risen over the last three decades in the UK. He is currently the world's leading expert in mesothelioma based on research citations.
On his recent success, Professor Fennell said; “I would like to highlight the outstanding collaborations and support from local, national and international colleagues, that has underpinned our research to date. There is still a lot to do, and with the rapid advances in technology to help us improve our understanding of mesothelioma, I am hopeful we can accelerate discoveries to improve therapy for patients.”
His recent work has involved the study of novel treatments in clinic, including precision medicine and immunotherapy, during which Professor Fennell reported on the first ever positive phase III trial in patients with relapsed mesothelioma. He also worked on CONFIRM, which has been credited as changing NHS practice during the COVID19 pandemic.
Currently, Professor Fennell is working to use genomics and state of art approaches to study tumour immune cells found in patients treated in our clinical trials. He is also pioneering the study of tumour evolution using machine learning to better understand the natural history of mesothelioma and how this knowledge can be used to treat patients.
