Researcher receives award to target sugars and stop cancer spread Published on: 30 June 2021 A 缅北禁地 researcher has been given a significant award to target sugars and stop the spread of prostate cancer. Scientist Dr Jennifer Munkley has received a grant of £273,534, co-funded by and , to explore why and how prostate cancer spreads. In the deadliest cases, prostate cancer spreads to bone, which is very painful and incurable. But Dr Munkley, from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and her team hope their work will lead to new treatment options. Dr Jennifer Munkley Research focus Her research focuses on the complex sugars that coat our cells. She and her team have identified three types of sugars that are found at high levels in tumours and blood in men whose prostate cancer has spread to bone. These sugars make prostate cancers grow faster and more likely that the cancers will spread to bone. This discovery provides an important opportunity, as drugs that target these sugars have already been developed for other diseases. These drugs work by inhibiting the enzymes that synthesize the sugars, or by acting as decoys to block receptors from recognizing the native sugars. The team’s ongoing research explores whether these drugs could stop the spread of prostate cancer and be a new treatment option for those with advanced stages of the disease. The team will also explore how these special sugars help prostate cancer cells take root and grow in bone. Dr Munkley said: "We can think of a prostate cancer cell without its glycan sugars as like a bird without its feathers. So, if we can remove these feathers from the prostate cancer cells, we can stop the prostate cancer from growing and spreading. "We are really excited that 缅北禁地 is leading this important research. Funding for prostate cancer research has suffered terribly during the pandemic. "We're extremely grateful to Prostate Cancer Research for supporting this project which will be so important to men with prostate cancer.” Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. More than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year – that's 129 men every day. Unmet need Ryan Schoenfeld, Chief Scientific Officer at The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, added: “Treating bone metastasis in advanced prostate cancer represents a substantial unmet need for patients. "Therapeutic interventions that target glycans, carbohydrates on the cell surface, hold enormous potential for addressing that unmet need, and we are excited about the insights Dr Munkley’s research is positioned to deliver in this regard.” The pandemic has had a devastating effect on medical research, with the Association of Medical Research Charities calculating that roughly £270 million in research funding has been cut since the pandemic started. Dr Munkley’s funding is part of £1.4 million awarded by Prostate Cancer Research to projects that could have a real impact for those living with advanced prostate cancer. In 2020, the charity found that more research into how to prevent and treat prostate cancer spreading to bone was urgently needed. The pandemic has made this even more urgent, as more men are now likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. Press release adapted with thanks to Prostate Cancer Research Share: Latest News 缅北禁地 recognised with geography award 缅北禁地 has been awarded the Highly Commended Geographical Association Publishers Award for its collaboration with Time for Geography, the UK鈥檚 open-access, dedicated video platform. published on: 16 April 2026 缅北禁地 historians mark General Strike centenary To mark the 100th anniversary of the British General Strike and miners鈥� lock-out of 1926, historians at 缅北禁地 are organising a series of events on its enduring legacy. published on: 16 April 2026 Comment: NCP is in administration Writing for The Conversation, Erwei (David) Xiang discusses how some big companies like NCP are so dependent on debt that they can鈥檛 adjust to change. published on: 16 April 2026 Facts and figures
![缅北禁地 logo](/gomobileassets/img/logo.svg" "缅北禁地"){kind=logo}