Cancer Research UK experts recognised in New Year Honours

Professor Caroline Dive, Cancer Research UK’s lung cancer expert, has been recognised for her services to cancer research in the New Year honours list as she becomes Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Professor Dive is deputy director and senior group leader at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, and co-leads the Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence.

She is internationally renowned for her work in biomarker research, helping to uncover how cancer develops, grows and spreads, what treatment might be best and how tumours can become resistant to treatment.

Her pioneering research into circulating tumours cells and liquid biopsies, which can provide a snapshot of a patient’s disease from a blood sample, is transforming our understanding and treatment of lung cancer, a disease where survival rates remain stubbornly low.

Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, congratulated Professor Dive on behalf of the trustees, staff, volunteers and supporters of Cancer Research UK. 

“This is a fantastic and well deserved honour for Caroline. Cancer Research UK is extremely proud to have supported Caroline for most of her research career.

“Her pursuit of answers to the questions that will transform the outlook for cancer patients is relentless. Her work is helping us to more precisely define which patients should get which treatments, and is showing great promise in being able to detect potentially lethal cancers earlier, when they have a greater chance of being treated successfully.

“Caroline is also helping train the next generation of doctors and researchers, offering hope for countless patients in the future.”

Professor Margaret Frame, science director at the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, has been recognised for her services to cancer research in the New Year honours list as she is awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE). 

Professor Frame investigates how cancer cells break away from a tumour and start moving, to find out how this process could be stopped. By understanding the molecules controlling the movement and spread of cancer cells, Professor Frame and her team hope to discover new ways to target cancer cells and develop novel drugs to treat the disease.

Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said: “We would like extend our congratulations to Margaret. Her research is helping us tackle one of the biggest challenges in cancer treatment – how to stop the disease spreading through the body. 

“As co-director of the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Margaret also uses her extensive experience and expertise to steer the delivery of outstanding cancer research and improved patient care.”