Biomarker Development in Cancer- Bridging the Translational Gap

Every cancer is different and standard treatments such as chemotherapy work better for some patients compared to others. The ability to match the right patient to the right treatment would enable cancer doctors to give patients the cancer drugs with the best chance of working. This idea is called 'personalised' or 'precision' oncology and will lead to tailored treatment plans for each patient.

Pre-selection of patients will also benefit the pharmaceutical industry by increasing the chance of a successful clinical trial and subsequent cancer drug approval. For precision oncology to be realised in the clinical setting accurate tests, or biomarkers, are needed which can use the genetic features of a patient's tumour to assist in determining the optimal treatment strategy.

Historically, developing a cancer biomarker has been difficult. Despite thousands of potential tests only a select few have made it through to day-to-day use in hospitals; there are many reasons for this. Cancer biomarkers developed in a university setting may not produce reliable results when used in hospital laboratories.

This could be due to inaccuracies in how they were designed or insufficient laboratory procedures to limit variation between batches of tests or different laboratories. Also, many biomarkers are developed using impractical technologies which are not used in hospital laboratories, do not provide clinically relevant results or are not produced or tested to a high enough standard to gain government approval for use.

To overcome these issues collaboration between universities, hospitals and the biotechnology industry is needed. More importantly, there are very few cancer physicians with the knowledge and skills required to design these tests and work in all of these settings. This proposal seeks to break down these barriers and develop a new, collaborative approach to cancer biomarker development.

By becoming a UKRI Innovation Scholar, Dr Turkington will gain essential skills in the design and development of cancer biomarkers. During his secondment at Almac Diagnostic Services (ADS) he will learn how to manage cancer biomarker tests as part of clinical trials. He will gain experience of a high-level commercial environment as well as essential skills in management and leadership.

This knowledge will be transferred back to Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and used to progress research biomarkers, design new cancer treatment strategies and influence the wider research culture. Dr Turkington will also be integral to the design of new cancer biomarkers and clinical trials, which will be tested through UKRI and UK government funded regional cancer trial programmes.

Northern Ireland already has a strong health innovation environment with the presence of QUB, five research-active Healthcare Trusts and multiple biotechnology companies, including ADS, who specialise in clinical biomarker development and delivery. Over several years QUB has positioned itself as a leader in precision oncology through investments such as the Precision Medicine Centre of Excellence (PMC) and NI Biobank.

The PMC is supported by the UKRI/Innovate UK Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to use artificial intelligence to select chemotherapy for patients. Combined with the recent submission for UKRI Strength in Places funding to create the NI Precision Biomarkers and Therapeutics Consortium (NIPBT) and the UK government funded Belfast Region City Deal 'Institute of Research Excellence for Advanced Clinical Healthcare' (iREACH), Northern Ireland is rapidly developing a dynamic ecosystem for precision medicine.

In summary, this scholarship will benefit ADS and QUB through the sharing of expertise and will also develop Dr Turkington into a uniquely skilled individual who can drive innovation in precision oncology. It will benefit the wider healthcare infrastructure in Northern Ireland and cancer patients by providing effective, precise and tailored treatment.