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Disease-specific research forms a key strand of the NHC’s output, with researchers at the centre using advanced technologies such as genomics and proteomics to identify specific biomarkers associated with different types of cancer. Biomarkers – biological indicators that can be used to predict, diagnose, and monitor diseases and conditions – can be found in tissue biopsies, blood, urine, and other bodily fluids, and their analysis provides valuable information about a patient’s health status and response to treatment.
treatment of cancer,' said Professor Rand. ‘We now hope that this research can eventually be used to enable clinicians to tailor their treatments to ensure that children affected by this disease can maximise their chances of recovery.’
small numbers of patients affected, making clinical trials difficult and not cost-effective for investment by drug companies.
The NHC is also at the forefront of research into developing new diagnostics and wearable technology to help patients suffering from chronic conditions manage their healthcare.
One project, led by Professor John S. Young (pictured below), is piloting new digital devices to enable people receiving dialysis to monitor key treatment measurements at home, without the need for invasive blood tests or hospital visits. 'The ultimate aim is for this technology to enable patients to track their potassium levels and other important measurements regularly at home,' said Professor Young.
This research has the potential to revolutionise cancer diagnosis and treatment, allowing for earlier detection and more targeted therapies.
The development of new therapeutics is a major focus of research at the NHC. Its collaborative environment at has resulted in new opportunities to develop and deliver new therapeutics for a range of diseases.
NHC Director Professor Vikki Rand (pictured above) has a background in cancer genomics. She takes a hands-on approach to the centre’s research output and is involved in several projects investigating aggressive cancers.
Her work in aggressive lymphoma has discovered a link between a specific gene and the survival rate of children with the disease. By demonstrating that mutations of the TP53 gene are linked to an inferior survival rate of children with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the research has made it possible to highlight patients who are less likely to be cured with current therapies.
‘Being able to identify which patients are more likely to respond to specific treatments is absolutely vital to effective treatment of cancer,’ said Professor Rand. ‘We now hope that this research can eventually be used to enable clinicians to tailor their treatments to ensure that children affected by this disease can maximise their chances of recovery.’
Linda Popplewell, Professor of Genetic Medicine at the NHC (pictured above), has developed several patented therapies which have entered clinical trials. She is particularly interested in finding new gene therapies for rare diseases such as Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The close links that the NHC has built with local NHS and healthcare bodies has enabled Professor Popplewell to liaise directly with patients themselves.
'Being diagnosed with a rare disease can be devastating. Meeting with patients and understanding the impact their disease has on their quality of life provides us with inspiration for everything we do; they are our ultimate stakeholders,' she said.
'Developing drugs for rare diseases is complicated by the lack of understanding of the diseases themselves, hence the need for biomarker studies, and by the small numbers of patients affected, making clinical trials difficult and not cost-effective for investment by drug companies.'
‘This could save lives by facilitating timely treatment of abnormal blood results.’ Discover. Develop. Deliver
Since opening in 2019, through the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent recovery, the NHC has played an integral part in delivering skills and expertise in a sector which is acknowledged as playing a key role in the economic success of the UK in the 21st century. With an ever-growing talent pipeline and research outputs still to be delivered, the NHC is set to become a keystone in the North East bioscience and healthcare ecosystem.