News

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

(11 February 2003)

Professor Robert Wilson, Honorary Professor of Surgical Science in the School for Health at the University of Durham and Consultant Surgeon and Director of Research and Development at The James Cook University Hospital gives his inaugural lecture, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants on Wednesday 19 February.

Professor Wilson, who teaches on the Medicine programme at the Queen's Campus in Stockton, will discuss his research into bowel cancer, the second commonest cause of death due to cancer in the UK. He will highlight the clinical and biological opportunities that are available for research into the disease and discuss the many past, present and future collaborations between South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Durham.

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is the first inaugural lecture to be held at the Queen's Campus and will be chaired by the University's Vice-Chancellor, Sir Kenneth Calman.

The lecture will be held at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday 19 February in the Ebsworth Building (Room D003) at the University of Durham, Queen's Campus, Stockton. The lecture is open to the public as well as members of the University.

For further information:
Professor Rob Wilson Tel 01642-854149
Jan Cawood, Public Relations Officer Tel 01642-335318

,li>PROFESSOR ROBERT WILSON, PROFESSOR OF SURGICAL SCIENCE
Professor Rob Wilson was born and educated in Gateshead and trained in surgery across the north-east of England. He became Consultant Surgeon to South Tees Acute Hospitals Trust in 1990 and Senior Lecturer in Surgery in 1998.

He has represented the Royal College of Surgeons in its Patient Liaison Group and is now Director of Research and Development in South Tees as well as Lead for Cancer Research for his local Cancer Care Alliance. His first paper was published in 1980 reporting work done when a medical student. Since then he has continued to publish and support work especially on bowel cancer.
1. Bowel cancer is the second commonest cause of death due to cancer in the UK. Over 30,000 new cases per annum are diagnosed in England and Wales alone and almost 30% of these patients have widespread disease at presentation. Despite this, when treated early the disease is curable.
2. In the South Teesside region some 185 - 200 new patients are seen each year. 10% of these patients present with the earliest stages of the disease and can usually be cured. Sadly, 25% have advanced tumours when first seen.
3. Researchers at the University of Durham's Department of Biological Sciences are working with health partners in the region to detect genetic changes in bowel cancer from the earliest stages through to a killing cancer. DNA CHIP technology is a state of the art method for identifying those genes important in the development of a cancer from amongst the 80,000 genes expressed in human beings. The CHIP will be used in two ways. Firstly to identify those genes which are diagnostic of the earliest stages of bowel cancer and having identified them, use them as an early indicator of the disease. Secondly, the CHIP will be used to discover differences between an individual who responds well to treatment compared to an individual who responds badly. This information will eventually be used to improve treatment regimes for patients.