Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust: Doctor working towards brain cancer breakthrough gets 'incredible boost'

Dr Christopher Yusef Akhunbay-Fudge, an early career researchers at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, is investigating what makes brain cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Dr Akhunbay-Fudge is supported by Leeds Hospitals Charity, which has been named as a recipient of government funding as part of £50m awarded via the Medical Research Charities Early Career Researchers Support Fund. Leeds Hospitals Charity has been awarded £926,000 in two separate funding grants.

Dr Akhunbay-Fudge will use new technologies to insert coloured cancer cells into a normal ball of brain tissue, which will enable him to study the cell cycle. He hopes to identify at what point a cell changes and why, and this information has the potential to lead to breakthroughs in more targeted and precise treatment of cancer.

Leeds Hospitals Charity’s CEO Esther Wakeman said: “The grant from the Covid Medical Research Charity Support Fund was an incredible boost. We’ve always been proud supporters of early career researchers at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and this funding means we’ll be able to help even more NHS staff move into research roles.

“Evidence shows that investment in medical research means earlier diagnoses and better outcomes for patients so the more we can support our hospitals in this way, the better it is for patients and their families across Yorkshire.”

The funding was announced by George Freeman, who is currently serving as the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation.