Dr Giulia Biffi awarded UKRI Future Leader Fellowship

Institute Group Leader, Dr Giulia Biffi, has been awarded a UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Future Leader Fellowship, as one of nearly 100 of the UK’s most promising scientists and researchers.

The £1.7 million fellowship will enable Dr Biffi and her team to determine how the diverse DNA mutations present in pancreatic cancer cells shape the non-cancerous microenvironment so to better stratify patients for targeted treatments. The funding will also enable the Biffi Group to establish new models to selectively ablate non-cancerous but tumour-promoting populations, and to define how the metabolism of the non-cancerous microenvironment affects pancreatic cancer progression.

Together, the new UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Future Leaders will receive £113 million to help bring their innovative ideas from lab to market and provide bold solutions to tackle major global issues ranging from climate change to chronic disease.

Delivered through the UKRI’s flagship Future Leaders Fellowships scheme – which aims to establish the careers of the next generation of world-class British scientists – the investment will enable researchers at universities and businesses to progress their studies quickly by funding essential equipment and paying for researcher wages.

Dr Giulia Biffi said “Pancreatic cancer is a real challenge. To be successful in improving patients’ survival we will need to tackle it from multiple fronts, including identifying new therapies for late-stage disease and new ways for early detection.

“My laboratory focuses on the non-cancerous components of the tumour microenvironment, which is up to 90% of the overall mass of pancreatic tumours. We are interested in understanding the nature of non-cancerous cells, how they interact with the cancer cells, and how we can stop tumour-promoting interactions to develop new effective combination treatments for pancreatic cancer patients.”

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said “We are putting science and innovation at the heart of our efforts to build back better from the pandemic, empowering our scientific leaders of tomorrow to drive forward game-changing research that could improve all our lives and boost the UK economy.

“Supported by £113m, the Future Leaders Fellowships will equip our most inventive scientists and researchers across the country with the tools to develop and bring their innovations to market quickly – all while helping to secure the UK’s status as a global science superpower.”

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said “I am delighted that UKRI is able to support the next generation of research and innovation leaders through our Future Leaders Fellowship programme.

“The new Fellows announced today will have the support and freedom they need to pursue their research and innovation ideas, delivering new knowledge and understanding and tackling some of the greatest challenges of our time.”