Aberystwyth University has been awarded a £60,000 grant to fund an innovative research project aimed at improving how prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men, is diagnosed.
This generous grant, given by the Merthyr Tydfil-based appliance manufacturing giant Hoover and awarded by The Prostate Cancer Charity, will help improve the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis.
Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar, the Principal Investigator of the project at the Department of Computer Science at the University and his PhD student, Jonathan Roscoe, met with David Lunt, Chairman of The Hoover Foundation, and representatives from The Prostate Cancer Charity, to formally be presented with the vital funds.
Meeting at the research centre on Penglais Campus they discussed how this research aims to help doctors see more clearly the extent and location of a man’s prostate cancer and in turn enable them to make better decisions about treatment.
Professor Zwiggelaar said, “We are delighted that the Prostate Cancer Charity, with support from the Hoover Foundation, is supporting this research to help improve the accuracy of prostate cancer diagnosis for the hundreds of thousands of men affected by the disease.
“By funding this project, they are not only enabling us to explore the potential of state-of-the-art computer modelling methods but are also helping nurture the prostate cancer scientists of the future.”
David Lunt said, “In the UK 37,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. However through our work with The Prostate Cancer Charity we know that current methods of diagnosis are in urgent need of improvement, if more men are to survive this disease.
“By funding this innovative project at such a highly acclaimed research institution, we hope to play our part in improving prostate cancer treatment for years to come. Our motto is generation future, and we are proud to be investing in the future of men and their health.”
The funds will pay for the entire three year PhD studentship at the University, which will run until Autumn 2014. The research project is to investigate the novel idea of combining magnetic resonance (MRI) and ultrasound results to give a more detailed initial map of exactly where prostate tumours are, and also a better indication of tumour size.
Dr Kate Holmes, Head of Research Management at The Prostate Cancer Charity who also attended the meeting said: “One of the biggest challenges in prostate cancer research is actually being able to accurately diagnose the disease.
“We believe this ground breaking project at Aberystwyth University will give doctors the answers they need in order to more accurately diagnose and treat tumours to provide real benefit to men in the early stages of their disease. We thank the Hoover Foundation for working with us to support this study and are eagerly awaiting its results.”
The money was presented to Professor Zwiggelaar on Monday 23 April 2012.
