Rebecca Fitzgerald

Last updated

Rebecca Fitzgerald
OBE FRS FMedSci
Born
Rebecca Clare Fitgerald

September 1968 (age 55)
Alma mater
Scientific career
Fields Oncology
Gastroenterology [1]
Website www.oncology.cam.ac.uk/directory/r-fitzgerald

Rebecca Clare Fitzgerald OBE FRS FMedSci (born September 1968) is a British medical researcher who studies cancer evolution to find new ways to detect and prevent cancer, with a particular focus on oesophageal cancer. [1] [2] [3] She is a tenured Professor of Cancer Prevention and is the founding Director at the Early Cancer Institute of the University of Cambridge. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Fitzgerald is a Fellow and Director of Medical Studies at Trinity College, Cambridge, and Honorary Consultant in Gastroenterology and Cancer Medicine at Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital. [3] [6] She is the leader of the CRUK Cambridge Centre Early Detection Programme and Cambridge lead for the CRUK Alliance of Cancer Early Detection (ACED). [7]

Education

Fitzgerald received a Master of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in Medicine from the University of Cambridge where she was an undergraduate student of Girton College, Cambridge in 1992. In 1997, she completed an Doctor of Medicine at Stanford University under the guidance of George Triadafilopoulos. [3]

Career and research

Fitzgerald's postdoctoral work took place at the Department of Adult and Paediatric Gastroenterology at St Bartholomew's Hospital and at The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, where she was supervised by Michael Farthing and funded by an MRC Clinical Scientist award. [3] After her postdoctoral positions, Fitzgerald began her own research group at the MRC Cancer Unit in Cambridge in 2001, under the mentorship of Bruce Ponder and Ron Laskey.[ citation needed ]

In 2004, Fitzgerald and her group developed Cytosponge, a novel screening test for Barrett's oesophagus, a common precursor to the often deadly cancer oesophageal adenocarcinoma. [8] Cytosponge consists of a pill-sized capsule that contains a sponge, and is attached to a string. The capsule is swallowed, which expands into a sponge in the stomach. The sponge is then pulled out by the string, collecting cells from the oesophageal wall along the way. [5] Subsequent biological analysis of the collected cells determines whether a patient has Barrett's. [9] Cytosponge has been praised for its minimally invasive, economical design compared to the current standard for identifying Barrett's oesophagus, the endoscopy. [10] [8] The procedure has completed its third clinical trial, which saw it tested on 9,000 patients in the UK. [6] The results of the BEST3 trial were published in The Lancet in summer 2020 showing that the Cytosponge-TFF3 test can identify ten times more people with Barrett's oesophagus than current GP care. [11]

Cytosponge is now implemented in the NHS, with trials ongoing in Europe and US. A fourth major clinical trial BEST4 will enrol 120,000 patients to determine whether this test could reduce morbidity and mortality from oesophageal cancer is rolled out as a pro-active, population based screening programme.[ citation needed ]

Fitzgerald is leading a trial in collaboration with Owlstone Medical that will be testing the company's Breath Biopsy technology for detecting cancer. [12] Because early cancer symptoms can be quite vague, new technologies are needed to try and pin-point the signals that will lead to a diagnosis. This pilot study will capture and examine the volatile molecules found in breath in the hopes of identifying signatures of metabolites from cancer cells. The team hopes to collect samples from 1,500 individuals by 2021 and will compare signatures from people with different types of cancer to healthy individuals.

In 2022 Fitzgerald led a review of cancer screening for the European Commission that led to new screening policy for EU member states. [13]

Honours and awards

In recognition of her work on Cytosponge and the early treatment of Barrett's oesophagus, Fitzgerald was awarded the Westminster Medal in 2004. In 2008, she was the recipient of a Lister Prize Fellowship, and in 2008 she received an NHS Innovation Prize. In 2013, Fitzgerald won a Research Professorship at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for her work. [3] In 2014, she was awarded the United European Gastroenterology Research Prize of €100.000. [14]

The Royal College of Physicians appointed Fitzgerald as its Goulstonian Lecturer. She was also awarded the British Society of Gastroenterology's Sir Francis Avery Jones Award. In 2013, Fitzgerald was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). Fitzgerald has also won a grant from the Evelyn Trust “as she works to develop effective screening that will benefit patients worldwide.”. [3] [15] In 2018, Fitzgerald was awarded the Jane Wardle Prevention and Early Diagnosis prize, which recognises individuals who have produced world-leading research in the field of prevention and early detection of cancer. [16] 

In 2024 Fitzgerald was awarded the Morton Grossman Prize Lecturer by the American Gastroenterology Association. In 2021 Fitzgerald was elected a member of https://www.embo.org/ and in 2022 elected Member of https://www.ae-info.org/. In 2022 she was awarded the Don Listwin early detection award.

Fitzgerald was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to cancer research. [17] She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2024. [18]

Public outreach

Fitzgerald has contributed to the public dialogue regarding cancer research, having appeared on broadcasts for BBC Radio 4 and ABC Radio Australia. [3] [19] In 2023, she was a panellist on the BBC Radio 4 comedy chat show Best Medicine. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastroenterology</span> Branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes referred to as the GI tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine as well as the accessory organs of digestion which include the pancreas, gallbladder, and liver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barrett's esophagus</span> Premalignant condition affecting the esophagus

Barrett's esophagus is a condition in which there is an abnormal (metaplastic) change in the mucosal cells lining the lower portion of the esophagus, from stratified squamous epithelium to simple columnar epithelium with interspersed goblet cells that are normally present only in the small intestine and large intestine. This change is considered to be a premalignant condition because of its potential to further transition to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an often-deadly cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonoscopy</span> Examination of the bowel

Colonoscopy or coloscopy is a medical procedure involving the endoscopic examination of the large bowel (colon) and the distal portion of the small bowel. This examination is performed using either a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera, which is mounted on a flexible tube and passed through the anus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancer Research UK</span> Cancer research and awareness charity

Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. Cancer Research UK conducts research using both its own staff and grant-funded researchers. It also provides information about cancer and runs campaigns aimed at raising awareness and influencing public policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical Research Council (United Kingdom)</span> National medical research agency

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is responsible for co-coordinating and funding medical research in the United Kingdom. It is part of United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI), which came into operation 1 April 2018, and brings together the UK's seven research councils, Innovate UK and Research England. UK Research and Innovation is answerable to, although politically independent from, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screening (medicine)</span> Brief medical evaluation to detect unnoticed health problems

Screening, in medicine, is a strategy used to look for as-yet-unrecognised conditions or risk markers. This testing can be applied to individuals or to a whole population without symptoms or signs of the disease being screened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge Biomedical Campus</span> Science park in Cambridge, UK

The Cambridge Biomedical Campus is the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe. The site is located at the southern end of Hills Road in Cambridge, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancer screening</span> Method to detect cancer

The objective of cancer screening is to detect cancer before symptoms appear, involving various methods such as blood tests, urine tests, DNA tests, and medical imaging. The purpose of screening is early cancer detection, to make the cancer easier to treat and extending life expectancy. In 2019, cancer was the second leading cause of death globally; more recent data is pending due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Janusz Jankowski is a doctor, educationalist and scientist of Scottish Polish origin He is an expert in Social and Healthcare Policy, Academic Management and Global Research and Education Networks He was formerly in previous senior management roles including Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation, Pro Vice Chancellor Research, Vice Dean Research and the Sir James Black Professorship. He is father to three children, including son and amateur hockey player Jakob Jankowski.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MRC Cancer Unit</span> Cancer Research Institute at the University of Cambridge

The Medical Research Council Cancer Unit was located in Cambridge and was established in 2001. It was based within the Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, which in turn is situated on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre</span> Medical facility in City of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

The Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre (ECRC), also known as the University of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, is a center for basic, translational and clinical cancer research located in Edinburgh, Scotland. ECRC constitutes a part of the Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine (IGMM) and is positioned in direct proximity of the Western General Hospital, where most of its clinical activities take place.

Fiona Jane Gilbert is a Scottish radiologist and academic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Dive</span> Professor of Cancer Pharmacology

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Sir Andrew Francis Goddard is a British physician and academic. He is a gastroenterology consultant and was the president of the Royal College of Physicians of London between 2018 and 2022.

Sarah Elizabeth Bohndiek is a physicist whose research involves developing novel imaging approaches for early cancer detection. She is a Professor in Biomedical Physics at the University of Cambridge and a Group Leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.

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Prateek SharmaFACG, FACP, FASGE is an Indian American gastroenterologist that specializes in esophageal diseases and endoscopic treatments.

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References

  1. 1 2 Rebecca Fitzgerald publications indexed by Google Scholar OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. ↑ Rebecca Fitzgerald publications from Europe PubMed Central
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cancer Unit, MRC. "Biography". www.mrc-cu.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. ↑ Cancer Unit, MRC. "Biography". www.mrc-cu.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  5. 1 2 Paul Brackley (29 November 2017). "14 innovative women in Cambridge leading the way in healthcare". Cambridge Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Professor Fitzgerald's 'pill on a string' enters third clinical trial". Trinity College. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. ↑ Programme, CRUK Cambridge Centre Early Detection (7 March 2019). "Cambridge Cancer…". CRUK Cambridge Centre Early Detection Programme. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  8. 1 2 Helen Briggs (18 June 2013). "'Quiet epidemic' of male cancer in UK". BBC. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. ↑ Alphonso van Marsh (21 November 2014). "Sponge test a low-cost, easier way to spot signs of cancer". CBS News. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  10. ↑ Michelle Roberts (4 November 2014). "'Sponge' test for gullet cancer looks promising". BBC. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  11. ↑ Rebecca C Fitzgerald; Massimiliano di Pietro; Maria O'Donovan; et al. (1 August 2020). "Cytosponge-trefoil factor 3 versus usual care to identify Barrett's oesophagus in a primary care setting: a multicentre, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial". The Lancet . 396 (10247): 333–344. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31099-0. ISSN   0140-6736. PMC   7408501 . PMID   32738955. Wikidata   Q98186348.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "A breath test with the goal of detecting multiple cancers is ready to start trials". Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  13. ↑ https://scientificadvice.eu/advice/improving-cancer-screening-in-the-european-union/
  14. ↑ "UEG career highlight: Rebecca Fitzgerald, winner of the UEG Research Prize 2014". United European Gastroenterology Journal . 3 (3). Sage Publications: 225. 1 June 2015. doi:10.1177/2050640615586655. ISSN   2050-6406. PMC   4480542 . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Early detection of oesophageal cancer". The Evelyn Trust. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  16. ↑ "Rebecca Fitzgerald awarded with the Jane Wardle Prevention and Early Diagnosis prize". MRC Cancer Unit. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  17. ↑ "No. 63714". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 June 2022. p. B13.
  18. ↑ "Outstanding scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society". Royal Society. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "'Pill on a string' detects early cancer". BBC. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  20. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rgyt
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