Submitted by Irena Rao on Wed, 01/09/2021 - 00:00
We are delighted that Daniel Munoz-Espin, group leader at the Early Cancer Institute, will co-direct the newly re-branded Thoracic Cancer Programme. As part of the review of the CRUK Cambridge Centre strategy, Centre Director Richard Gilbertson has announced that the Aerodigestive Cancer Programme, in light of the growth of research in lung and other cancers of the thorax, will be renamed the Thoracic Cancer Programme. This move further aligns the Cambridge Centre efforts with CRUK’s research strategy and maximises the research opportunities provided by the adjacency of the new Royal Papworth Hospital as well as the new Heart and Lung Research Institute, opening in 2022.
Robert Rintoul will continue to direct the programme and Daniel Munoz-Espin has been appointed as the new co-Director to work with Robert. The team will review the Thoracic Programme strategy and plan for any changes to be in place by the end of March 2022. An evolution, rather than a revolution, of the existing strategy is envisaged to allow bold and ambitious growth and the continual thriving of the Cambridge Centre in challenging financial times.
Daniel commented, "It is a great honour to be selected as the new co-lead of this rebranded Programme. Robert and I have undertaken a number of research projects together, so it seems like a natural fit with my lab which looks at the processes and mechanisms contributing to lung cancer initiation and the development of novel detection and therapeutic tools. My work spans both early detection and the work of the Thoracic Programme and I look forward to contributing to the ongoing success of both Programmes."