The Oxford Centre for Early Cancer Detection (OxCODE) Funding Scheme aims to advance innovative Oxford-based research that can be applied to detecting cancer earlier. OxCODE provides short-term awards that will enable the development of proof-of-concept projects, technologies, assays, methods and platforms to a stage at which more long-term external funding can be sought. Priority was given to projects with a clear translational trajectory towards the ultimate longer-term goal of improving cancer patient care through earlier detection.
After peer review by the OxCODE Operational Group and Oxford Cancer Patient and Public Involvement group, funds were allocated to the following projects:
- Professor James McCullagh (Department of Chemistry) “Towards early detection of altered cancer metabolism”.
- Professor Bethan Psaila and Dr Natalie Jooss (MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and Radcliffe Department of Medicine) “Basophils and mast cells as non-canonical drivers of inflammation and cancer progression in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms’’.
- Dr Monica Olcina and Professor Katherine Vallis (Department of Oncology) “Developing probes for ovarian cancer early detection”.
Congratulations to these teams and thank you to all applicants for their submissions.