Five of our CRUK City of London Radiation Research Centre (CoL RadNet ) PhD students recently showcased their research and patient and public engagement skills at the UCLH Celebrating Research Open Day 2026 on Thursday 8th October 2026. The event welcomed patients, hospital staff and members of the public for an afternoon of interactive activities highlighting cutting-edge health research and innovation taking place across UCLH and its partners.

The open day featured approximately 50 interactive stalls and provided opportunities for visitors to meet researchers and clinicians, explore emerging healthcare technologies, and learn more about medical research.

Representing CoL RadNet were Isobel Bonning (QMUL/KCL), Callum Emin (QMUL/UCL), Steph Leadbitter (UCL), Devika Singh (UCL/Crick) and Maria Janjua (UCL), supported by Philippa Pristerà and Esther Osarfo-Mensah from the CoL RadNet PPIE team. Throughout the afternoon via interactive demonstrations and discussions, the PhD students spoke with visitors about the ways in which radiation technologies are used to diagnose and treat disease through medical imaging and radiotherapy, and shared insights into their own research so far.

For our PhD students, the event provided a valuable opportunity to develop their patient and public engagement skills and gain first-hand experience communicating their work with diverse audiences:

“Taking part in the UCLH Research Open Day was a really rewarding experience. I particularly enjoyed engaging with patients and members of the public, explaining how radiotherapy works and discussing the latest research and advancements in the field. It was a valuable opportunity to develop my confidence in communicating complex scientific concepts in an accessible way. Speaking with visitors also reminded me of the importance of patient engagement and how research ultimately aims to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.” – Maria Janjua

The event also enabled visitors to contribute their perspectives and questions, creating meaningful dialogue between researchers and the communities that ultimately benefit from research outcomes.

Public and patient involvement and engagement is a key part of RadNet City of London’s mission, ensuring that research is informed by and accessible to the wider public. By participating in events such as the UCLH Celebrating Research Open Day, our PhD students help to not only build understanding of radiation science, but also inspire interest in healthcare innovations.

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Professor Yaohe Wang is a cancer cell and gene therapist who has spent more than two decades developing novel biological approaches for the treatment of cancer. Based at the Barts Cancer Institute, his research has focused on tumour-targeted replicating oncolytic viruses and the development of innovative viral therapeutics designed to selectively attack cancer cells while stimulating anti-tumour immunity. His research has received sustained support from major UK funding organisations, including the Medical Research Council (MRC), Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) etc., with a substantial track record of publications in prestigious scientific journals such as “Nature Biotechnology”, “The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI)”, “Gut”, and “Nature Communications”, etc.

Over the course of his academic career, Professor Wang has taken discoveries from the laboratory through preclinical development and into clinical-stage biotechnology programmes, providing him with first-hand experience of the challenges involved in translating academic science into medicines. He has also been involved in establishing and developing a university spin-out, navigating the many stages between scientific discovery, intellectual property, company formation, fundraising, product development, manufacturing, regulatory strategy, and clinical translation.

In this talk, Professor Wang will share his personal experience of the journey from academic scientist to biotech founder—including the excitement of seeing scientific ideas become real product that has cured cancer patients, as well as the frustrations, unexpected challenges and lessons learned along the way.

Professor Yaohe Wang – Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London

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In2STEM is a widening participation programme that supports young people from under-represented backgrounds studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects at BTEC and A-Level. Through hands-on activities and interactions with researchers, the programme helps students gain insight into STEM careers and the many pathways available into research and healthcare innovation.

Students in workshop organised by Graeme Hewitt’s Lab (Isobel Bonning, Zoe Newson, Emelie Jansson, and Ekaterina Morozova)

At Guy’s Cancer Centre, the students spent a morning with researchers Isobel Bonning, Zoe Newson, Emelie Jansson, and Ekaterina Morozova in Dr Graeme Hewitt’s lab, where they gained practical insight into some of the laboratory techniques used in cancer research, including agarose gel electrophoresis and microscopy. They also learned about each researcher’s career paths, university experiences, and current research projects.

Students in workshop organised by Dr Cinzia Imberti and PhD student Zuzanna Kokoszka

Dr Cinzia Imberti (right) and PhD student Zuzanna Kokoszka (left)

The students took part in a bespoke laboratory session designed and delivered by Dr Cinzia Imberti and PhD student Zuzanna Kokoszka in the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences at St Thomas’ Hospital. The interactive workshop introduced students to PET imaging and demonstrated how imaging agents are developed and purified before being used in disease detection and treatment.
The placement provided students with an opportunity to engage with cutting-edge cancer research first-hand while meeting researchers at different stages of their careers. The students gained valuable insights into the skills, training and opportunities available within cancer research and the wider STEM sector.

Reflecting on the week, one student said the placement “provided more insight into a career I knew not a lot about and allowed me to question what the right path is for the future.” Another commented that the sessions “were really interesting and relate a lot to what I want to do in the future. Everything was just really fun overall.” When surveyed, all of the students agreed that the week slightly or significantly increased their interest in studying or working in STEM, and either agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more confident that they could find a route into a job that suited them.

Programmes such as In2STEM play an important role in broadening access to STEM careers by helping young people build confidence, develop new skills and connect with professionals working at the forefront of research and innovation.

We would like to thank all the researchers, clinicians, technical staff and professional services colleagues who contributed their time and expertise to make this In2STEM placement such a success.

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On Thursday 16th July 2026, the CRUK City of London Radiation Research Centre (RadNet City of London) piloted a new format – a Creative Radiotherapy Research Café, bringing together radiation researchers, healthcare professionals and people with lived experience of radiotherapy to explore research in a more open, creative and collaborative way, with a specific focus on two core themes of our centre:  

• Understanding why radiotherapy works better for some people than others (radiotherapy resistance)
• Understanding the longer-term effects and impact of radiotherapy 

The session was led by our PPIE team, Philippa Pristerà and Esther Osarfo-Mensah, alongside artist facilitator Liane Harris, and attended by 10 patient/lived experience representatives and 11 RadNet City of London professionals or partner representatives, including: 

• Academic researchers/staff: Dr Rita Pedrosa (QMUL), Dr George Frith (KCL), Dr Grace Cooksley (UCL/UCLH), Prof Erik Sahai (Crick), Alexandrine Carminati (Crick), Prof Sam Terry (KCL) and Hafiza Bibi (RadNet CoL Manager, UCL)

• Clinical researchers/staff: Amanda Webster and Riya Patel (Therapeutic Radiographers, UCLH), Dr Gemma Eminowicz (Consultant Clinical Oncologist, UCLH), and Egla Aitkens [for well-being support] (Clinical Practice Facilitator, CCTU/UCLH) 

Through lived experience discussions, research presentations, and creative reflection, participants were invited to explore what these topics mean in real life, what research is currently trying to address, and what may still be missing from the conversation.

Why did we run it?

Researchers and people affected by cancer don’t often have opportunities to talk with one another, particularly early in the research journey. 

Many of our centre’s researchers work on complex challenges such as treatment resistance, recurrence and optimisation. But while they spend years studying these questions, they rarely have opportunities to hear directly from the people whose lives are affected by them. 

Equally, many patients, carers and family members don’t often get the chance to see how research begins, influence thinking at an early stage, or share what feels most important from their perspective before plans are already in place. 

The Creative Research Café was designed to test whether bringing these perspectives together earlier could create new understanding, challenge assumptions and help shape future research conversations. It was about creating space for researchers and people with lived experience to learn from one another before research ideas are fully developed.

The Role of Creativity 

Previous RadNet projects, including ‘What Does Radiotherapy Mean to You?’, demonstrated how creative approaches can help people share experiences that are often difficult to express in words alone.

We wanted to build on those insights by using creative tools not simply to capture experiences, but to help researchers and people with lived experience think and reflect differently together – drawing out what matters most to people, as well as the connections between people’s stories.

What happened on the day? 

Session 1: Lived experience 

We started with lived experience. Rather than beginning with research presentations, we wanted participants to first explore what these themes look and feel like in everyday life. 

A couple of our attendees were invited to start the conversation with what terms like ‘resistance’ or ‘recurrence’ mean to them, and why talking about the long-term impact of radiotherapy is so important. The conversation was then opened up to allow others in the room to share their experiences, reflecting on what researchers may not always see or hear, and what they felt future research should better understand.  

Work is now underway to collate all the themes from the discussions in more detail, but overall they included: 

• Living with uncertainty when treatment outcomes are unclear 
• The experience of being overwhelmed by information at key points in the treatment journey 
• The importance of preserving identity, quality of life and function, not just treating disease 
• Having meaningful choices and a voice in decision-making 

“I was moved by the tenderness of the conversations, sharing my story didn’t feel clinical or extracted – it felt honoured. It was the first time I’ve spoken about radiotherapy in a setting that felt both creative and deeply human.” – Patient Partner post-event reflection

Session 2: Research in plain language 

After a short break, we then moved to the researcher’s session in which five researchers from across RadNet City of London — Rita Pedrosa, George Frith, Grace Cooksley, Erik Sahai, and Alexandrine Carminati — shared short presentations on their research covering radiotherapy resistance, imaging, long-term side effects and personalised treatment approaches. They were encouraged to use highly visual, plain-English slides focused on the problem they were trying to solve, why it matters, and where lived experience might help shape future thinking. 

After each talk, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions, giving them a chance to gain clarification around the applications and implications of the research, thereby helping researchers also better understand the likely relevance and areas of importance for patients. 

Discussions explored broad topics relating to the research, including:

• whether increasing treatment combinations is always desirable from a patient perspective
• how to balance treatment effectiveness with quality of life
• the need for more personalised medicine and approaches
• the emotional burden of imaging, which is often described as ‘non-invasive’, but as one participant reflected “repeated scans, uncertainty and waiting for results can still be highly invasive on the mind” 

“It’s made me think more about the unintended consequences of radiotherapy and the importance of targeting the dose. I was also inspired by the resilience of the patients with cancer and cancer survivors.” – Researcher post-event reflection

Session 3: Creative reflection 

The final part was led by artist facilitator, Liane Harris.  

Using collage techniques, visual prompts and pen marks, participants were invited to reflect on one idea, question or connection that had stayed with them from the morning and explore it further through a personal visual mind map. We worked around two large table clusters, with researchers, healthcare professionals and our lived experience representative sat side-by-side, enabling everyone to continue conversations, exchange ideas, and make new connections while also having space to reflect individually.  

As the session unfolded, conversations moved between personal experience, research questions and future possibilities. Rather than directing every discussion, participants were encouraged to follow the ideas and connections that felt most important to them. 

What emerged was not only a collection of creative outputs, but a rich set of reflections, questions, and perspectives that built on the discussions from earlier in the day. 

Immediate reflections 

One of the biggest lessons from the pilot was the importance of creating space (and time) for different perspectives to meet. Some of the most interesting insights emerged not from the questions we planned, but from unplanned conversations, shared reflections, and unexpected connections between participants. 

For us as organisers, this reinforced the importance of balancing structure with flexibility. While careful facilitation creates the conditions for meaningful conversations, some of the most valuable learning happens when people are simply given the opportunity to listen, reflect, and think together in the same space. It also reminded us that meaningful conversations take time. Many of the sessions naturally ran longer than planned, suggesting a real appetite for deeper discussion, reflection, and exchange between participants. 

“It was a very special day, and I was very humbled and excited to be a part of it.” – Researcher post-event reflection

What’s next? 

We’re now collating feedback, reflections and creative outputs from the day. Over the coming weeks/months, we’ll share these materials, reflect on what we’ve learned, and explore how this approach can be refined and repeated in the future. 

While this was only a pilot, it has already generated new thinking, new questions and new connections that are likely to continue to evolve as time goes on. Our hope is that, with further testing and refinement, this approach could become a simple and repeatable way of bringing lived experience into radiotherapy research conversations earlier, more consistently, and with greater impact.

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(Image: Dr James Nicholson, QMUL, Dr Nekisa Zakeri, QMUL, Dr Jayant Rane, UCLH, Prof Erik Sahai, Crick, Dr Rafael T. M. de Rosales, KCL, Dr Luigi Ombrato, QMUL)

A huge congratulations to all our Seed and Development Fund awardees, each receiving up to £25,000 to launch innovative pump-priming projects. Here is a insight to some of these projects;

Radiotherapy-induced epigenetic selection in glioblastoma recurrence

Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumour that almost invariably recurs after radiotherapy, yet shows surprisingly little evidence of genetic evolution during treatment. Dr Nicholson’s project tests a new model: that recurrence is driven not by genetic mutations, but by the selection of pre‑existing, heritable epigenetic cell states that are intrinsically resistant to radiation.

They will use single‑cell DNA methylation sequencing to profile thousands of tumour cells from matched primary and recurrent glioblastoma samples, alongside patient‑derived tumour models exposed to clinically relevant radiotherapy. This will identify rare epigenetic subpopulations present before treatment and track how they expand under therapeutic pressure. By integrating these data with spatial transcriptomics, the team will map where resistant cell states reside within the tumour microenvironment. Finally, they will test the clinical relevance of these signatures in a validation cohort of >1,000 bulk glioblastoma methylation profiles. Ultimately this project aims to inform the future development of rational combination therapies that target resistant populations and improve patient response to radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy-induced tumour priming to enhance gamma delta T cell immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with limited effective therapeutic options for advanced disease. Dr Zakeri’s project investigates novel combination treatment approaches integrating radiation-induced tumour priming with gamma delta T cell immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma. Using 3D patient-derived tumour models, the team will study the mechanisms by which radiotherapy impacts on tumour susceptibility to gamma delta T cell-mediated killing and remodels the tumour microenvironment.

Radiotherapy-induced regulatory T cell reprogramming and its impact on lung metastasis

Radiotherapy is one of the most powerful tools in cancer treatment, routinely used to control primary tumours. Yet its effects are not confined to the tumour itself: radiotherapy can reshape the immune system, with consequences across the body that remain unclear. Dr Ombrato’s project addresses a key unanswered question: how does radiotherapy to the breast influence the immune environment in distant organs such as the lung, a common site of metastatic disease? Using preclinical models, his team has identified systemic immune changes following treatment, including shifts in regulatory T cells (Tregs), which play a central role in controlling immune responses.

They will now investigate how these radiotherapy-induced immune alterations affect the behaviour of disseminated cancer cells in the lung. By uncovering the underlying biology, this work aims to inform the development of more effective treatment strategies that combine radiotherapy with immune-targeting approaches, ultimately helping to optimise cancer therapy in the context of metastatic disease.

Microenvironmental determinants of chemo-radiotherapy response in EOCRC

Colorectal cancer is increasingly being diagnosed in adults under 50, and some younger patients have poorer outcomes than expected despite being fit enough to receive intensive treatment. Dr Rane’s project asks whether the tissue surrounding these cancers helps explain this problem. Rather than studying cancer cells alone, they will recreate patient-derived tumour ecosystems in the laboratory, including cancer cells and key support and immune cells that can make tumours inflamed, scar-like and harder for treatment to penetrate. His team will use these models to study why early-onset bowel and rectal cancers may respond differently to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, including modern radiotherapy approaches. The aim is to generate evidence that helps doctors identify which patients need different treatment strategies, and to support future clinical trials designed to improve cure rates while preserving long-term quality of life for younger patients and families.

To read about our other Seed and Development fund projects click below;

Seed Funding
Development Funding

The post Congratulation to all our 2026 Seed and Development Fund Awardees appeared first on CRUK RadNet.

Speaker: Dr Graeme Hewitt, King’s College London
Date: Wednesday 8^th July 2026 at 9.30am with tea, coffee and light breakfast.
Location: Large Seminar Room, Innovation Hub, Guy’s Cancer Centre, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL
Registration: Click Here to register

Dr Kelly Sheehan-rooney will also be available if anyone would like to query about fellowships applications and other career opportunities.

Optional tour available of the Guys Campus. (15min)

Biography: Dr Graeme Hewitt is a CRUK RadNet Junior Group Leader in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre at King’s College London, where his research focuses on DNA damage response mechanisms and their application in cancer therapy and radiotherapy sensitisation. His work combines functional genomics, proteomics and advanced cell biology approaches to identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities in cancer.

Graeme completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science at Newcastle University before undertaking a PhD in the biology of ageing, awarded in 2016. His doctoral research investigated the interplay between autophagy and DNA double-strand break repair, for which he received the Newcastle University Medical Sciences Doctoral Thesis Prize.

Following his PhD, he carried out postdoctoral research at The Francis Crick Institute in the laboratory of Simon Boulton, where he studied DNA damage response pathways and chromatin remodelling in cancer. During this time, he was also seconded to Artios Pharma in Cambridge, contributing to the development of high-throughput screening assays for novel DNA damage response targets.

Since establishing his independent research group at King’s College London in 2021, Graeme has built a growing and collaborative team focused on understanding how cancer cells respond to DNA damage and radiation therapy. His group now consists of six PhD students and a research technician. He maintains strong collaborations with industry partners including ARTBIO, AstraZeneca and Artios Pharma, helping to translate discoveries in DNA damage response biology into new therapeutic strategies. Dr Hewitt is also embedded within the Cancer Research UK City of London Research Centre, where he serves as a member of the discovery training team as well as maintaining research collaborations across the network spanning functional genetics, radiation biology and assay development.

The post Career Building Series: ‘How to build a Research Group’ appeared first on CRUK RadNet.

We are pleased to host the first scientific discussion and tour of the Total Body PET Facility at King’s College London. 

The event will offer an opportunity to:

• Learn about the facility and its capabilities
• Find out how to access the facility
• Take a guided tour
• Network with colleagues over lunch, tea, and coffee.

Date: Thursday 11 June 2026 | 12:00–5:00 pm
Venue:  London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE)
100 Lambeth Palace Road, London, SE1 7AR

Proposed Agenda:

12pm Lunch
1pm Introduction to the facility by Professor Stephen Archibald
3pm Refreshment break
3.30pm talks by Professors Simon Cherry, Gary Cook and Tim Witney.
4.30pm Tour of facility

Register now

Deadline to Register 8th June 2026.

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Join us to learn from Dr Kelly Sheehan‑Rooney on what funders are looking for and hear first hand from Dr Ivana Bjedov on her journey to becoming a CRUK Fellow.

Dr Kelly Sheehan‑Rooney is a research funding and training specialist with extensive experience supporting early‑career researchers. She is currently a Strategic Research Development Manager at King’s College London, where she works across the cancer research community to advance strategic initiatives, strengthen collaborations with partners such as the CRUK City of London Centre and the Radiation Research Centre, and support major funding efforts.

Previously, Kelly led the EMBO Fellowship Programme, overseeing its €24M annual portfolio and supporting more than 550 postdoctoral fellows each year, alongside developing new schemes and strategic projects that enhanced global early‑career researcher development. She has also held fellowship and training roles at Imperial College London and Cancer Research UK.

Dr Ivana Bjedov earned a BSc degree in Molecular Biology form University of Zagreb, Croatia. She did her PhD at the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris, in the laboratory of Prof. Miroslav Radman, where she learned about DNA repair in E. coli. Her interest in ageing research started when she moved to University College London, where she was a postdoctoral EMBO fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Dame Linda Partridge.

Her postdoc was focused on understanding how to manipulate the mTOR pathway with rapamycin to improve health and extend lifespan in Drosophila. She joined UCL Cancer Institute upon obtaining ERC Starting Grant and her laboratory is interested in protein synthesis and DNA repair. Recently she became part of the CRUK RadNet City of London network and was awarded a CRUK Senior Fellowship

Register by Friday 27th February 2026

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On Tuesday 25th November 2025, we hosted the inaugural meeting of our PPIE Radiation Research Champions, marking an exciting step in our efforts to continue embedding patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) into our work at CRUK City of London Radiation Research Centre.

This new advisory initiative brings together RadNet-affiliated researchers from across our institutions to ensure that public and patient voices and lived experiences help shape the future of radiation research. It also gives researchers the opportunity to influence PPIE training and opportunities, ensuring best practice across our community.

Why does this matter?

PPIE makes research more relevant and impactful by involving and engaging patients, caregivers and the public in discussions about radiotherapy and radiation research. Through collaboration, we can improve perceptions, shape better treatments, understand the mental health needs of patients and loved ones during treatment, and share innovations so research benefits patients quickly.

What will the Champions do?

Over the next year, Champions will:

• Share insights on researcher needs and challenges in embedding PPIE
• Support the development of PPIE resources and training for researchers
• Raise the visibility of PPIE across our research community
• This light-touch but high-impact role will inform the strategic development of PPIE support and make it easier for researchers to involve and engage patients and the public in meaningful ways.

Find out more about our champions:

Dr Anthony Kong

Since July 2019, I have been a Reader at King’s College London and an honorary NHS Consultant in Clinical Oncology at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. My research interests include personalised medicine, translational research, and clinical trials. My research programme bridges the gap between clinical and laboratory research, conducting two-way bench-to-bedside studies with the aim of translating laboratory findings into clinical practice for patients’ benefit.

Ultimately, our research aims to improve patient outcomes. We work with patients as research partners so that we understand what truly matters to them and can guide our research towards areas that are directly relevant and beneficial.

Amanda Webster

I am a Therapeutic Radiographer and CRUK RadNet PhD researcher specialising in motion management for abdominal radiotherapy. My work focuses on translating innovative, evidence-based techniques into routine clinical practice to improve treatment accuracy, workflow, and the experience of both patients and staff.

PPIE matters deeply to me because it makes research better at every stage. It ensures we are asking the right questions, designing studies that are acceptable and meaningful to patients, and capturing outcomes that reflect what truly matters to them. Hearing the patient voice keeps our work grounded, strengthens how we communicate and deliver care, and is a constant reminder of why we do this research in the first place.

Dr Catarina Veiga

I am an Associate Professor at UCL where I lead research into radiotherapy physics and imaging, with a strong focus in paediatric cancers. Alongside my research, I’ve been involved in several PPIE activities and have seen firsthand how PPIE empowers everyone involved. I believe in the power of the patient voice to make researchers and their research better.

Dr Jamie Dean

I lead the Computational Radiation Biology Lab at University College London. Our Lab is researching mechanisms of radiotherapy resistance of brain tumours and radiotherapy-induced normal brain toxicity to design more effective and less toxic treatment strategies. To do so, we integrate computational and mathematical models with experimental and clinical data, working collaboratively with experimental biologists and clinicians.

PPIE matters to me to because it: (1) ensures that our research is informed by the perspectives of people with lived experience of cancer; (2) communicates to patients and the public that research is going on “behind the scenes” to improve the lives of people with cancer in the future; and (3) enables joint advocacy efforts to promote the importance of research and need for increased resources to accelerate our progress.

Patricia Jensen

My PhD research explores ways to improve the safety and efficacy of cancer treatments. It involves adapting existing chemotherapeutic drugs, so they only exhibit the intended effect at the tumour during radiotherapy, with the goal of overcoming side effects for patients. As a chemist, being involved in PPIE is important to me because it helps ensure our research is shaped by the people it will hopefully benefit one day.

Dr Rebecca Carter

My role as a RadNet City of London pre-clinical radiotherapy scientist involves running the preclinical radiotherapy service at UCL Cancer Institute, design and execution of various radiobiological experiments, and appropriate dosimetry for preclinical work.

During my career, I have frequently heard examples of how participation of patients, by contributing details of their experiences and knowledge, can help to enhance the treatment outcomes and influence patient’s perception, post-treatment. These are important both for general well-being, and to increase chances of recovery during cancer treatment.

Dr Rita Pedrosa

My research expertise lies in vascular biology and cancer, with a particular focus on how endothelial cells regulate tumour progression and responses to therapy. Using clinically relevant in vivo models, I study how cancer treatments reshape the tumour microenvironment and immune responses, with the aim of improving therapeutic outcomes.

PPIE is central to my work because understanding patient perspectives helps ensure that research questions, experimental models, and therapeutic strategies address real clinical needs. Engaging with patients and the public strengthens the relevance, transparency, and societal impact of my research, and informs the responsible development of treatments that balance efficacy with long-term patient well-being.

Riya Patel

I am a Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) Research and Development Radiographer, coordinating evaluative commissioning studies in PBT and facilitating development projects. My work focuses on improving patient experience and exploring clinical applications of radiotherapy. PPIE is essential as it ensures research projects reflect patient needs, it also supports trial design and helps deliver treatments that align with patient priorities.

Suzanne McGowan

I am a PhD student studying the role of the tumour microenvironment in radiotherapy-resistant breast cancer, and I am keen to help bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. My professional experience in breast cancer research and my own family’s experience have shown me how important it is that patient and carer voices guide the direction of science. PPIE ensures our research answers the questions that matter most to those affected by cancer.

Dr Samantha Terry

I am an academic at King’s College London who researches what radiation does to our cells; this knowledge then helps radiation protection practices and our ability to use radioactivity to its maximum potential to halt cancer cells from growing or remove them altogether. I have been working in PPIE for over 10 years as I believe it is important to connect with others and that people with experience of cancer and/or radiotherapy can still impact basic science trajectories. Also, that is what life is about, connecting with people, finding similarities and learning from each. Science should be no different.

Looking ahead

If you would like to find out more about the PPIE Radiation Research Champions, please contact Esther Osarfo-Mensah (Senior Outreach Officer) and Philippa Pristerà (Patient Public Involvement Coordinator) via ppie.radnetcol@ucl.ac.uk.

The post Introducing our PPIE Radiation Research Champions appeared first on CRUK RadNet.

Welcoming Four New Postdoctoral Researchers to the CRUK City of London Radiation Research Centre

The CRUK City of London Radiation Research Centre is delighted to welcome four outstanding postdoctoral researchers who are joining us to advance the centre’s vital scientific goals. Their arrival marks an exciting period of growth and reflects our commitment to nurturing the next generation of leaders in radiation science. Each brings unique expertise that will strengthen our collaborative research community, and we look forward to the discoveries their work will help drive.

Dr Marti Brucoli – Queen Mary University of London

Dr Marti Brucoli joins the centre at Queen Mary University of London, where he will work with Dr Luigi Ombrato to identify immune cell subpopulations and molecular signatures associated with metastasis formation. His research aims to deepen understanding of how metastatic tumours develop and spread. Marti completed his PhD in Cancer Studies at the University of Glasgow.

Dr Harriet Roddy – University College London (UCL)

Based at UCL, Dr Harriet Roddy will work with Dr Claire Roddie to investigate how combining CAR T cell therapy with radiotherapy could improve outcomes in solid tumours. Her work explores an emerging therapeutic frontier with significant potential for clinical impact. Harriet received her PhD in Cancer Immunotherapy from UCL.

Dr George Firth – King’s College London (KCL)

Dr George Firth joins King’s College London to work with Dr Cinzia Imberti on uncovering new mechanisms of radiation resistance. His research focuses on the role of intracellular manganese (Mn)—an essential cofactor of the enzyme superoxide dismutase—in driving antioxidant capacity within cells. George completed his PhD in Medical Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at KCL.

Dr Isaline Renard – King’s College London (KCL)

Also based at KCL, Dr Isaline Renard will work with Professor Stephen Archibald to develop and evaluate novel radiopharmaceutical platforms for cancer imaging and targeted molecular radiotherapy. Her work will contribute to advancing precision tools for diagnosis and treatment.

The post Meet our new Postdoctoral Researchers appeared first on CRUK RadNet.