Integrating chemistry, biology and patient advocacy, for better bladder cancer patient outcomes
Precious Popoola, PhD
My name is Precious Popoola, and I am currently a third year PhD student at the University of Kent, where I also attained my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry. I was recently awarded funding from the Kent Cancer Trust for my project which looks at taking a patient-centred approach towards developing new treatments for bladder cancer.
Cancer remains one of the most significant threats to human health and bladder cancer is of particular interest, with it being the 10th most diagnosed cancer worldwide and 11th in the UK. Drawing from my Chemistry background, I am working with a novel molecular technology developed by Professor Jennifer Hiscock to design and develop new treatments for bladder cancer. However, for new molecular technologies to be translated into the clinic, we need to know if it is something that clinicians and patients will actually use. New drug discovery does not typically incorporate these views, meaning that the drug generated in the lab may have unforeseen issues in the clinic. To address this, this molecular technology is being progressed across the fields of chemistry, biology and social science with my supervisors Professor Hiscock, Dr Katrina Taylor and Professor Michelle Garrett as I incorporate a patient centred approach within this type of PhD programme for the first time.
Both laboratory based cancer research and patient advocacy cost money. Receiving this funding from the Kent Cancer Trust enables me to finish my PhD studies through buying things like the special reagents we need to grow bladder cancer cells in the laboratory and also to run a workshop with bladder cancer patients, which is needed to complete the remainder of my project.