Leicester researcher lands £250k funding for DNA cancer work

Dr Amanda Chaplin is a lecturer at the University of Leicester

A university researcher has been awarded a £250,000 prize for her work on how the body responds to DNA damage that can ultimately lead to cancer.

Dr Amanda Chaplin, a lecturer at the University of Leicester, won the prize from the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine.

She said: "I'm very excited about the research... it has to make a real difference to cancer studies and other illnesses."

She added the award was "wonderful".

Dr Chaplin, a molecular and cell biology lecturer, said: "The award means that research can continue at an even greater depth and intensity.

"I'm passionate about women in science so I also hope that this project helps to inspire other female scientists in their fields."

'Bright future ahead'

Dr Chaplin is among a group of eight from universities and institutions across the UK to receive a fellowship.

"Our body contains the blueprint for life in molecules of DNA," she said. "Damage to these molecules occurs all the time and requires repair.

"Typically, our bodies have the machinery to repair them, but when these mechanisms go wrong and the body doesn't repair them, cancer can occur."

She added she hoped the research would help scientists to understand more about the damaged DNA, giving them the potential to develop therapeutics against cancer and viruses.

Prof John Schwabe, director of the Institute for Structural and Chemical Biology at the university, said: "Amanda is one of our star researchers... and the Lister Prize is very well deserved.

"Amanda is already one of the UK's leading researchers in this area and certainly has a bright future ahead."