Our mission is to advance patient care through clinical and laboratory research and education.
The University of Aberdeen has established a multidisciplinary cancer research programme. Key people from across the University and NHS Grampian involved in all aspects of cancer research, including cell and molecular biology, pathology, surgery, oncology, primary care, health psychology, health data science and public health work collaboratively, delivering patient-centred research to advance understanding, treatment, prevention and care of all cancers. Our aim is to translate new laboratory findings into the clinic to directly improve patient outcomes – a bench-to-bedside (and back again) approach.
Working across 4 research Institutes within the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, and NHS Grampian, we cover various aspects of cancer research, from basic laboratory cell and molecular biology, through traditional clinical disciplines, also in areas of health services research.
Our clinical and laboratory research is co-located on the same site, facilitating interaction between laboratory and clinical staff and access to human tissue via the Grampian Biorepository. Core facilities within the Institute of Medical Sciences provide access to specialised equipment supported by trained personnel to allow cutting edge cancer research using the latest technologies.
Our research programmes span basic and clinical cancer research. For more information about the people investigating different areas, please see below.
Our research programmes span three areas of basic and clinical cancer research with crosscutting themes to allow interdisciplinary research at a local, national and international levels.
Understanding the causes of cancer
Detection, screening & treatment
Pathways to care
Rural health
Globalisation
Ageing
Data science
Led by Prof James N’Dow the multi million Euro OPTIMAproject is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to advance treatments and facilitate decision-making for physicians and patients with prostate, breast and lung cancer.
Since performing the first human whole-body MRI scanin the world over 40 years ago, the University of Aberdeen has continued to innovate in this area, by developing a new type of scanning called Field-Cycling MRI, led by Dr Lionel Broche. This has better resolution than conventional MRI and does not require a contrast agent.
Prof Anne Kiltie is exploring ways of manipulating dietary fibre as an ‘endogenous’ means of radiosensitising tumours without increasing radiation toxicity to the surrounding normal tissues including the intestines.
Funded by successive CRUK programme grants, Prof Anne Donaldsonis exploring the molecular machinery controlling origin initiation, replication fork progression, and chromosome maintenance in cancer.
Also funded by CRUK, Dr Rasha Abu-Eidis exploring ways to Integrate Raman spectroscopy and digital pathology as novel tools for objective grading of oral epithelial dysplasia.
Dr Sara MacLennanleads projects addressing cancer care e.g. ICANTREATwhich focuses on understanding the impact of cancer and treatment on individual’s lives and methods for involving different stakeholder groups, particularly patients, in the design and delivery of care.
Funded by UKRI,Prof Iain McEwan focuses on investigating the molecular mechanisms of action of the human androgen receptor and translating fundamental discoveries to the clinic.
Aberdeen is part of the iCAIRD project, a pan-Scotland collaboration which focuses on the application of artificial intelligence to digital diagnostics. Prof Lesley Anderson is our local academic lead.
We work closely with Independent Cancer Patients Voice and a School wide PPI Hub has been established as an efficient way to provide support for research groups who wish to use PPI in their research projects.
The ANCHOR Centre is an exciting new development for Aberdeen and North-East Scotland. Opening in September 2023, it will provide state-of-the-art facilities for cancer and haematology patients in Aberdeen and North-East Scotland. It will be located at the south of the east end of the Foresterhill Health Campus, adjoining to the existing Radiotherapy Centre to create a single facility for all patients using Haematology, Oncology and Radiotherapy day- and out-patient services under one roof.
There will also be a dedicated lounge for teenage and young adult patients, an aseptic pharmacy to produce chemotherapy treatments and dedicated teaching and research facilities. The new facilities will help modernise patient care and facilities at the Foresterhill Health Campus, one of Europe’s biggest healthcare sites, and is part of NHS Grampian's continued investment in new and improved facilities across the North East of Scotland.
Around 65,000 out-patients will use the centre each year, with approximately 250 patients attending each day for care or treatment.
The ANCHOR centre will enable new interdisciplinary research which will continue to address the needs of people with cancer and identify the best ways to deliver effective and personalised treatment and care.
The University of Aberdeen runs a Cancer PhD Programme, directed by Professor Anne Donaldson, to initiate bench-to-bedside projects that link our basic and clinical cancer research programmes
