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Contact information


sandy.figiel@nds.ox.ac.uk

LOCATION

Radiobiology Research Institute, Churchill Hospital, Headington, Oxford

Collaborators

  • Alastair Lamb
    Alastair Lamb

    Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist, SPACE Group Leader

  • Ian Mills
    Ian Mills

    John Black Professor of Prostate Cancer, Interim Head of Department, Group Leader

Sandy Figiel

MSc, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths amongst men. Prostate cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease with variable clinical outcomes. Defining the transition from benign to malignant tissue and understanding genetic changes within tumours is fundamental to improve early diagnosis of cancer.

My research focuses on the understanding of the cellular mechanisms of prostate cancer progression and metastases development. I joined NDS to work on the Spatial Prostate Assessment and Circulating Environment (SPACE) study, a translational research programme based on the identification of drivers of progression in localised prostate cancer, incorporating spatial transcriptomics of whole prostate and tracking of cancer clonal evolution. 

I also focus on the relationships between epithelial-mesenchymal transition, ion channels and fatty acids in pre-clinical models and clinical samples, using in particular organotypic culture. 

Genetic mapping of tumours: New breakthroughs in prostate cancer

Alastair Lamb, Sandy Figiel, Dimitrios Doultsinos and colleagues from NDS's Prostate Biology Group discuss the findings of a recent paper published in Nature, the spatial prostate biology programme in Oxford, the potential for future collaborations and the hope that these findings will improve care of patients with prostate cancer.