Submitted by Administrator on Fri, 12/01/2018 - 11:39
Jean Abraham and Rebecca Fitzgerald are named in a new report unveiling 50 female leaders in healthcare business in the UK. Produced by BioBeat, 50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2017 emphasises how diversity of thinking is critical to the success of the sector in the UK. The report also celebrates how women are driving innovation in healthcare.
Dr Jean Abraham: Academic Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology, University of Cambridge, is exploring how high risk and/or hereditary breast cancer patients can benefit from newer drugs, with specific, targeted actions and fewer side-effects, earlier in their treatment pathway. She and her group use molecular stratification and precision cancer medicine research to understand differences in genetic changes between these breast cancers and how this affects their response to new drugs. She leads multiple local, national and international studies investigating these questions. Jean holds a PhD in pharmacogenetics from the University of Cambridge and was previously awarded a Cancer Research UK National Clinical Training Fellowship.
Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald: MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge and Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Rebecca works on the rapid early detection of cancer to improve cancer outcomes. She and her team have created CytoSponge and associated molecular tests to identify early stage oesophageal cancer. A patient swallows a pill-sized capsule with a sponge inside, this travels to the stomach where the capsule opens. The nurse pulls the sponge out and as it moves up the oesophagus it collects cells for molecular testing. The device has been licensed to Covidien GI Solutions and is in late stage primary care trials for Barrett’s oesophagus.