New advances in technology mean that cancer research is now a broad church,
covering basic cell and molecular biology and pathology, but also going off into
epidemiology, structural biology and immunology. 快猫短视频s want to
understand what goes wrong in the basic processes that underpin cancer, from
cell proliferation and cell death to how cells become specialised to perform
different tasks. Once they have a handle on these, they hope to identify
prognostic markers and targets for treatment. There is also a huge amount of
work on genetic stability, including DNA repair and genetic predisposition to
cancer.
Advances are changing the face of cancer research, not least the Human Genome
Project (HGP). People are moving much more into genomics鈥攕tudying gene
sequence information, and the new field of proteomics鈥攍ooking at the
pattern, concentrations and eventually the functions of proteins within the
cell. The HGP is greatly accelerating the pace of gene discovery, but studying
the functions of these genes will also be a growth area, says Jo Reynolds,
science information manager at the Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) in London.
Understanding the roles of the proteins encoded by these genes is the next big
challenge, agrees Graham Currie, research director at the Marie Curie Research
Institute, southwest of London. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a problem that requires a physical and
chemical perspective as well as a biological one,鈥� he adds.
Researchers developing anticancer therapies are moving away from methods that
attack all dividing cells in the body, as most conventional treatments do, and
towards ways of targeting tumour cells alone. This would involve developing
genetic and protein engineering techniques for use in strategies such as
immunotherapeutics. Drug discovery is heading towards using combinatorial
chemistry鈥攑roducing many variations on individual molecules鈥攁nd
developing technologies to screen such compounds.
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Attack on all fronts
The demands of new developments like these means that as well as molecular
biologists and biochemists, other breeds of scientists are jumping into the
fray, including physicists, chemists, mathematicians and IT people. Cancer
research, in common with other biomedical fields is becoming increasingly
collaborative and interdisciplinary. In recognition of this, the government鈥檚
Medical Research Council (MRC) has started handing out Discipline-Hopping
Awards. The aim is to attract physicists, chemists and economists with proven
track-records in their fields into collaborations with biomedical scientists.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very much committed to drawing innovative thinking into biomedicine,鈥�
says Joe McNamara of the MRC.
Much of the basic cancer research is done in universities and institutes
sponsored by the MRC and cancer charities. Charities, such as the
Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), Cancer Research Campaign and the Marie
Curie Research Institute, are major players in supporting basic and clinical
research. ICRF has its own laboratories in London and South Mimms, while the CRC
funds researchers in universities and specialist units.
After gaining his PhD from Oxford University, biologist Peter Parker did
postdoctoral work at the ICRF and Dundee University, before heading labs at the
ICRF and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, London. He is now back at the
ICRF, heading a lab that studies how protein activity is controlled, especially
in cell signalling, and how it relates to cell behaviour.
If you have a good grounding in molecular biology and/or cell biology, it is
fairly easy to move into cancer research at the postdoctoral level, says Parker.
In his opinion, an ideal postdoc candidate should have some view of where the
research is going, and plan to have a future within cancer research. Good
teamworking skills, and a readiness to work long hours also help. But, moving
across from a commercial background may be harder if you don鈥檛 have a set of
recent publications to help you compete against academic researchers applying
for the same jobs. The traditional career progression is two or three postdoc
positions after which you set up your own lab. This may come in the form of a
career development grant from a research council or charity, a university
lectureship, or by joining a research institute.
The discoveries that are made in academic research won鈥檛 benefit cancer
patients unless they get translated into drugs and therapies. This is where
cancer research moves over to the commercial sector, into biotechnology and
pharmaceuticals companies. Here are many opportunities for bench scientists to
do more applied research. The middle ground between academia and industry is
occupied by drug development. This can take place in joint venture biotech
companies set up by a university or charity or in a commercial biotechnology
company. The number of these companies is set to grow as increasing numbers of
researchers establish their own start-up companies.
Although the biotech market is buoyant at the moment, job security in small
firms isn鈥檛 guaranteed because they can fold or be taken over. Nevertheless, it
is a good way to gain experience of the commercial sector, and can be a useful
stepping stone into more established industries. Another area is translational
research, turning gene discovery, such as the breast cancer gene BRCA2, into a
diagnostic tool and making it available to the public. This could be done in a
biotech company, or offered as a service by NHS clinical genetics labs. 鈥淚f
you鈥檝e got a good lab-based background, there are many opportunities in biotech
and translational labs,鈥� says Jo Daniels of CRC Technology (CRCT). Translational
companies include the US-based Myriad Genetics (www.myriad.com), which
is involved in BRCA testing, and Rosgen (www.rosgen.co.uk) in Scotland.
Pharmaceuticals companies also do applied cancer research, and specialise in
many different types of cancer. British Biotech (www.britishbiotech.co.uk)
and Celltech (www.celltech.co.uk) are active in
this area, as are companies such as Astra-Zeneca (www.astrazeneca.com)
and SmithKline Beecham (www.sb.com鈥攕oon to merge with Glaxo
Wellcome).
If you鈥檙e fed up with life at the bench, but still want to keep your finger
on the pulse of cutting-edge cancer research, consider a career in technology
transfer鈥攎anaging the shift of basic research discoveries to the
commercial sector. It鈥檚 a hot area at present. About 90 universities have their
own programmes, as do the major cancer charities and the MRC. NHS Trusts are
also setting up shop, so opportunities abound.
Search for new ideas
鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to bring a therapy to a patient, you鈥檙e going to need a
company,鈥� says Keith Blundy, Chief Operating Officer at CRCT. 鈥淥ur job is to try
and look at stuff across the board that needs developing, and find people to
develop it.鈥� In this work you would use your research knowledge to talk with
scientists and identify prom-ising results. A discovery then needs to be
protected by a patent and possibly developed further before a licence with a
commercial partner can be negotiated.
A PhD or equivalent lab experience is essential, and experience in industrial
research is useful, says Blundy, as you would be acting as a middle man between
the academic and commercial communities. Business qualifications such as an MBA
are useful, but not essential, and technology transfer can be a useful
stepping stone between science and the financial sector. 鈥淚f you like a broad
variety of science,鈥� says Blundy, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of a much better job.鈥�
Potential earnings are better than they are in the academic sector, and there鈥檚
less tendency for short-term contracts. Depending on your background and
experience, you can join technology transfer at any stage.
Adrian Ibrahim joined CRCT as an assistant manager in December after
completing a PhD. He had grown dissatisfied with the career structure in
academia and was attracted by the chance to see science through to the
development stage. Jo Daniels joined at a later stage in her career. She
finished her PhD and went straight into a biotech company. Following a stint in
management consultancy, she moved back into science as a business manager at
CRCT. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the best of both worlds,鈥� she says. You could rise to become a
company director, or move on to a lucrative career in venture capital. However,
for most people involved in cancer research, be it at the bench or in the
boardroom, the prospect of reducing the suffering caused by the disease is what
it鈥檚 all about.
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Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories
www.icrf.org.uk/research/prospectus/index.html -
MRC
www.mrc.ac.uk -
MRC Technology
www.mrctechnology.org -
Marie Curie Research Institute
www.mcri.ac.uk/default.html -
The Cancer Research Campaign
www.crc.org.uk -
CRC Technology
www.crct.co.uk -
Leukaemia Research Fund
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/lrf-// -
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
www.med.ic.ac.uk/ludwig/home.htm