Tag: bowel cancer

Genetic mutation focus on new cancer study

Researchers search for way to stop bowel cancer growing

SCIENTISTS in Glasgow are launching a new Cancer Research UK-funded project to find a way to stop bowel cancer cells hijacking the body.

The team, based at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in the city, will focus on a particular system inside the human body, called the Wnt pathway – a key messaging system controlling growth.

A specific genetic mutation can cause this system to tell cells to grow and produce new cancer cells out of control.

The cancer cells then hijack the pathway and prevent it from growing healthy cells, effectively starving the body of healthy growth.  This can eventually lead to the growth of tumours in the lining of the bowel.

Dr Nadia Nasreddin, researcher at the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Professor Sansom’s group, said: “We hope to find a way to help healthy cells fight the mutant cell colonisation of the bowel lining, by using drugs that can promote healthy cell growth.

“If we boost the Wnt pathway in normal cells, we can improve their health, restore their capacity to divide and produce new healthy cells, and reduce the ability of cancer cells to grow in the bowel.”

With funding of £357,759 from Cancer Research UK, the project will help tackle bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK.*

Treatment options for bowel cancer remain limited, particularly for patients who are diagnosed at later stages of the disease, making the search for new therapies vital. Scotland is disproportionately affected by the disease with around 4,000 people diagnosed each year. **

Bowel cancer is caused by changes in the DNA (called mutations) in important cells in the intestine called intestinal stem cells.

These cells maintain the intestine’s lining by constantly dividing to replace old or worn-out cells with healthy new ones. These cells live within a specific environment, characterised by high activity of the Wnt pathway.

Eighty per cent of colon cancer cases are caused by mutations in a particular gene which is responsible for controlling the Wnt pathway environment and can be inherited.

When this mutation occurs, it creates a very high Wnt environment which results in the cell’s dividing and producing new cells faster than normal.

It also produces a molecule that deprives normal cells of their Wnt environment causing normal intestinal stem cells to stop dividing and producing new ones.

This results in mutant cells in the lining of the intestine that, over time, replace the normal cells eventually forming into a tumour.

The team will test four different molecules to determine which best supports the health of normal intestinal stem cells in mouse models.

Researchers will further develop any which show a clear benefit to survival into drugs for human use.

Science engagement lead at Cancer Research UK, Sam Godfrey, said: “We are delighted to fund this exciting research project which looks at the beginnings of cancer and seeks ways to prevent it developing.

“Harnessing our own body’s power to support healthy growth and halt the excessive growth which results in tumours could lead to the kind of breakthrough which transforms the way we see, and treat, bowel cancer.”

Bowel cancer kills 16,800 people in the UK (1,700 in Scotland) every year and is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people.*

A recent study by the American Cancer Society published in The Lancet Oncology showed early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied and are rising faster in young women in Scotland and England than in young men.**

Grateful patient urges others to act early on bowel cancer

A patient who feels his life was saved by a simple bowel screening test is encouraging people to act early – by completing their screening test or contacting their GP if they notice symptoms.

Colin Mearns, a photographer from Glasgow, shared his experience after sending away his screening sample led to the early discovery of bowel cancer.

Like thousands of people across Scotland, Colin received a bowel screening test through the post. Everyone aged 50 to 74 is invited to take part every two years, and the test takes just a couple of minutes to complete and return.

For Colin, those few minutes were life‑changing. Because his cancer was found early, he was able to have surgery at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to remove the affected part of his bowel, and he is now cancer free.

“I had no idea anything was wrong,” Colin said. “If I hadn’t done the test and sent it back quickly, my cancer might not have been picked up until much later.

“Hearing the word ‘cancer’ was frightening but knowing it had been caught early made all the difference. Because of that early diagnosis and treatment, I can now look forward to the future.”

Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in Scotland, with around 4,000 people diagnosed each year, according to Public Health Scotland. However, it is also one of the most treatable cancers when found early. When bowel cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, nine in ten people survive.

This April, during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, people are being urged to be aware of the symptoms and to seek advice as soon as possible if they notice changes.

Bowel cancer can affect anyone, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity or where they live. Symptoms can include bleeding from your bottom, blood in your poo, changes in bowel habits such as going more or less often or having diarrhoea or constipation that comes and goes, unexplained weight loss, feeling very tired all the time, or pain or a lump in your tummy.

Having these symptoms does not always mean you have bowel cancer, but it is still important to find out what is causing them. Not everyone will have all the symptoms, and they may appear at different times. Even if you have only one symptom, your GP will want to see you.

Dr Alison Potts, Bowel Screening Lead for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said early action saves lives.

“We know that talking about poo or bowel habits can feel embarrassing, but GPs are used to having these conversations every day,” she said. “If you’ve noticed any changes or have symptoms that concern you, please make an appointment with your GP as soon as you can.

“When bowel cancer is detected early, it is highly treatable and, in the vast majority of cases, curable. The earlier it is diagnosed, the more straightforward treatment is likely to be.”

She also stressed that people should not wait for their next screening invitation if they have symptoms. “Your GP may ask you to complete an at‑home test to help decide whether further checks are needed. Acting early gives everyone the best possible chance of an early diagnosis.”

Public Health Scotland data shows that around two‑thirds of people who are sent a bowel screening test complete it and return it.

“People like Colin show just how powerful this simple test can be,” Dr Potts added. “Even if you’ve put it off before, taking a few minutes to complete it when it arrives could save your life.”

Returning a screening test does not usually lead to further procedures. Only around 2–3 per cent of people are asked to have a colonoscopy, and if cancer is found at that stage, it is often early enough that surgery alone can remove it.

For more information about bowel screening or to order a replacement test kit, visit NHS Inform or call the Scottish Bowel Screening Centre on 0800 0121 833.

Major new £1.5m Scottish project to focus on “sabotaging” cancer cells

SABOTAGING CANCER COULD OPEN DOOR TO NEW TREATMENTS

RESEARCHERS IN EDINBURGH AIM TO ‘TRICK’ BOWEL CANCER

SCIENTISTS in Edinburgh are launching a £1.5 million Cancer Research UK-funded study to find a way to ‘sabotage’ bowel cancer cells.

Cancer cells can often disguise themselves, preventing the immune system from recognising them as a threat and destroying them. The team, at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer (IGC) at the University of Edinburgh, aims to disrupt cancer’s DNA messaging system, causing errors that make the cells visible to immune defences.

Exploring how to trigger this vulnerability, the study’s long-term goal is to identify new treatments to tackle bowel cancer more effectively.

Project leader Dr Kevin Myant, of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre and IGC, said: “Around 85 per cent of patients with bowel cancer find immunotherapy isn’t effective for them. Our new project aims to explore why and find new ways to make bowel cancer more responsive to this type of treatment.

“Immunotherapy is exciting as it has the potential to be curative, not just manage the disease, and has the benefit of reducing side effects to patients.

“We hope this project will find a way to shine a light on bowel cancer cells so they are no longer invisible to our immune system, by disrupting the messages telling cancer cells to grow.”

Bowel cancer kills 16,800 people in the UK (1,700 in Scotland) every year and is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people.

A recent study by the American Cancer Society published in The Lancet Oncology showed early-onset bowel cancer rates in adults aged 25-49 are rising in 27 of 50 countries studied and at a faster rate in young women in Scotland and England than in young men.

Often, in cancer, the immune system doesn’t see cancer cells as a threat as they are generated from inside the body.

This research will focus on the body’s messaging system, RNA, which takes information from DNA and tells cells when to grow and where.

The team aims to sabotage this system, through a process called RNA splicing, to disrupt these messages and introduce errors which will effectively “light up” bowel cancer cells to the immune system so it can destroy them.

Cancer Research UK Director of Research, Dr Catherine Elliott, said: “Immunotherapies, where a patient’s own immune system is harnessed to tackle cancer, are a key area of cancer research and for some patients, they are providing transformational improvements but not all patients respond to them.

“Being able to use the power of our own immune system to tackle cancer could offer more effective treatments and lead to the kind of breakthroughs which can revolutionise cancer treatment and care.

“We need more research to understand the differences in patient responses to therapies and how to improve these, and Cancer Research UK is delighted to fund this innovative and potentially transformative research.”

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK. Despite this, treatment options remain limited, particularly for patients who are diagnosed at later stages of the disease.

Scotland is disproportionately affected by the disease with around 4,000 people diagnosed each year.

Letters: Active April

Dear Editor,

Bowel cancer is the UK’s fourth most common cancer and its second biggest cancer killer. We know that one of the ways we can reduce our risk of developing bowel cancer is by taking part in regular exercise.

This April, for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, Bowel Cancer UK are encouraging people to do something active every day as part of our ActiveApril campaign.

Whether your readers would like to challenge themselves to reach a fitness goal or get active in their own way, every movement they make in ActiveApril will bring us closer to a future where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Yours sincerely,

Genevieve Edwards

Chief Executive, Bowel Cancer UK

Scottish pilot tackling hidden waiting list of people at risk of bowel cancer

A Cancer Research UK-funded scheme aims to tackle a waiting list of people at higher risk of developing bowel cancer.

The project, which aims to improve patient access to vital colonoscopies, has launched in the Scottish Borders and, if successful, could change NHS practice across the UK.

The initiative is part of a UK-wide programme from the charity, with additional support from the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK, called Test, Evidence, Transition (TET) which aims to accelerate the adoption of best practice in the early diagnosis of bowel cancer.

Cancer waiting times in Scotland are currently amongst the worst on record. In April-June 2024, only 73 per cent of patients who were referred urgently with a suspicion of cancer started treatment within 62 days, with the Borders region performing above the national average at 77.9 per cent. This is still below the 95 per cent standard and nationally is the third worst performance on record since 2012.*

However, patients regarded as being at a higher risk of developing bowel cancer – usually because of pre-existing medical conditions are not covered by this target.

Instead, they are put on ‘surveillance’ lists because they need tests at regular intervals and do not have a current suspicion of cancer based on symptoms.

Stretched resources can mean those with symptoms of suspected cancer take priority, leaving some of those who may have a similar risk, waiting for long periods of time for a colonoscopy with no NHS target in place for them.

To tackle this issue NHS Borders, with the support of Cancer Research UK and research partners at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, has developed a new nurse-led surveillance pathway to improve access to colonoscopies.

Dr Jonathan Fletcher, Consultant Physician and NHS Borders Lead Clinician for the project, said: “With the support of Cancer Research UK and the Bowelbabe Fund, we are excited to be overhauling the colonoscopy follow up arrangements for Borders patients with a variety of conditions that increase their risk of colorectal cancer.

“There will be a range of benefits to patients and the endoscopy service that we hope to examine and measure with this initiative.”

A colonoscopy is a type of endoscopy, a non-surgical procedure using a flexible camera to examine the inside of the colon.

In the new pathway in the Borders, patients will receive a new reminder phone call 4-5 days prior to their colonoscopy appointment to reduce missed appointments and carry out a pre-assessment to note any changes in their health.

It will also offer services advising patients on steps they can take to reduce their risk of developing bowel cancer and will improve the use of IT systems to make management of the waiting list more efficient and effective.

Julieann Brennan, Strategic Lead and Board Coordinator for Public Health National Screening Programmes in Scotland, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with Cancer Research UK to improve access to our colonoscopy services, particularly for those who may be at higher risk of developing bowel cancer.

“We also want to make improvements in communications with those patients who may be at higher risk.”

TET is a major Cancer Research UK programme which aims to accelerate the adoption of innovation in the health system while reducing inequalities in access to best practice cancer care. Previously, the scheme has focused on reducing waiting times for people with suspected breast and prostate cancer.

Naser Turabi, Director of Evidence and Implementation at Cancer Research UK, said: “There is a relatively less well-known group of people who are at a higher risk of bowel cancer, waiting too long for crucial colonoscopy tests. It has no official target and so can get less attention and resource.

“We are delighted to support this exciting initiative undertaken by NHS Borders who are keen to reduce the wait and improve outcomes for patients in their region.

“If patients in this pilot scheme can be tested at the right frequency, we have a better chance of diagnosing cancer earlier, when treatment is much more likely to be successful. We hope the learning from this work will be adopted elsewhere in Scotland and across the UK.”

TET has received £2m from Cancer Research UK and the Bowelbabe Fund for projects across the UK, with each project delivered by local NHS teams in conjunction with academics to find new ways to improve both patient experience and cancer outcomes.

The Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK was created to continue the inspiring legacy of Dame Deborah James who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35.

Launched in the last few weeks of her life and now stewarded by her family, together with Cancer Research UK it works to fund cutting-edge research, raise awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer with the aim of helping more people affected by cancer have more time with the people they love.

Groundbreaking research could revolutionise bowel cancer treatment

New research led by a team of scientists from Queen’s University Belfast and the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Scotland Institute in Glasgow have made a series of groundbreaking discoveries into tumour biology that may be used to deliver a more effective personalised medicine approach for patients with bowel (colorectal) cancer.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with around 42,900 new bowel cancer cases and around 16,600 bowel cancer deaths in the UK every year, a statistic that highlights the need for new ways to treat patients with this aggressive disease.

The new study, funded by Cancer Research UK and published today in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics, used a unique and innovative approach developed in Belfast, to identify a set of previously unseen molecular patterns in tumour tissue that provides new information related to treatment response and risk of disease progression.

These remarkable results mean that clinicians and scientists can now draw more information from a patient’s tumour tissue which may lead to better treatment options.

Previously, the most common approach for identifying groups of tumours based on their biological signalling, known as molecular subtyping, used information about how active individual genes are within tumour tissue.

The subtypes identified using this method have shaped understanding of cancer development, progression and response to therapy over the last decade and served as the basis for numerous clinical trials and pre-clinical studies.

Dr Philip Dunne, Reader in Molecular Pathology from the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast and senior author of the study, explains: “While looking at patterns across individual genes has revealed remarkable insights into cancer signalling, advances in laboratory research over the last decade have shown that assessing activity in groups of closely related genes in combination can provide new understanding that isn’t apparent when using the traditional single gene approaches.”

Given the potential value of this new pathway approach, researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, the CRUK Scotland Institute, University of Zurich, University of Oxford alongside a multinational collaborative group proposed a new data-driven method for reclassification of bowel cancer, which has been published in this new groundbreaking study.

By assembling genes into biological pathways prior to the development of molecular subtypes, the team rearranged tumours into a series of new groups, based on activity across a complex network of cancer-related signalling; all of which appears to be critical in predicting how well a tumour will respond to different treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

To ensure that scientists and clinicians around the world can immediately access these data and test this new subtyping approach, the team have released a freely available classification tool that allows the Belfast-developed approach to be used on tumour samples in any research lab.

Dr Sudhir Malla, Postdoctoral Research Fellow from the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast and first author of the study commented: “By developing an unrestricted classification tool for the cancer research community, it means that researchers from around the world can reproduce our finding on data emerging from their own collections of tumour samples, to identify biological pathways that cancer cells switch on or off to control their movement, growth and response to their environment.”

Professor Owen Sansom, Director of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, who co-authored the study said: “The research presented today in Nature Genetics exemplifies the value of collaborative research between scientists and clinicians.

“Studies such as this are essential to enable us to understand the complexities of a patient’s tumour and will be used in our pre-clinical laboratories to identify novel treatments specifically targeting the biological patterns we have identified.”

Dr Sam Godfrey, Research Information Lead at Cancer Research UK, said: “Cancer is perhaps the most complex disease we face, and no single treatment will ever beat it.

“Cancer Research UK is delighted to have funded this innovative research, an important step towards giving doctors the insight to see which therapy can best exploit an individual cancer’s weakness.

“Research like this could lead to better and more precise treatments for the thousands of people diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in Scotland.”

The team are now applying their new subtyping approach on tumour samples derived from clinical trials run in the UK, to build the essential clinical evidence needed before the new method can be used to make clinical decision about which treatments a patient should be offered.

IBS vs Bowel Cancer: three red flags that need to be seen by a doctor

With April being IBS awareness month, Google searches for ‘What is irritable bowel syndrome?’ have increased by over 300% in the past 30 days, and ‘What does IBS feel like?’ has also seen an increase of 250%.

Below you will find some answers from Dr Vivek Goel, a gastroenterologist at Spire Cardiff Hospital . 

I’m a doctor and here are the symptoms, triggers, and cures for your IBS 

The exact cause of IBS is unknown, but some causes include family history and infection 

The exact cause of IBS isn’t known, although potential risk factors have been identified such as stress and family history. Differences in the bacteria that live in the gut of those who have IBS could also have other conditions. IBS can also occur after an abdominal infection (gastroenteritis), which subsequently changes the gut microbiome.

IBS is also caused by contractions that are too weak, which can slow down the movement of food through the gut leading to constipation. At the same time, contractions that are too strong or too long can lead to diarrhoea, bloating and flatulence.

Symptoms include problematic urination, backaches and nauseousness, as well as the usual stomach pain

IBS symptoms are often triggered or worsened by eating or drinking. Common symptoms include stomach pain and cramps, abdominal bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. You may also experience backache, feel tired and nauseous, pass more wind (flatulence), pass whitish mucus on your stools, and have problems controlling your urge to urinate and open your bowels.

Food triggers are different for everyone, but some of the main culprits are cabbage, broccoli and apples

Food and drink triggers for those with IBS vary from one individual to the next, which is why it is helpful to keep a food diary where you can track what you’ve eaten and drank alongside your symptoms.

Drinks that can trigger IBS include caffeinated drinks (e.g. tea, coffee, and certain energy drinks), and fizzy drinks. Foods that may trigger IBS include cabbage, cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, Brussel sprouts), high-fructose fruits (apples, mangoes, pears), fatty/fried foods (chips, crisps, cheese), highly processed foods and pulses.

Chewing gum might also be a trigger of your IBS 

The primary triggers for IBS outside of food and drink are anxiety, stress and certain medications e.g. antibiotics, certain antidepressants and medication containing sorbitol (e.g. cough syrup). Eating too quickly and chewing gum can also trigger IBS symptoms.

Non-caffeinated drinks and probiotics can help ease symptoms of IBS 

Drinking non-caffeinated tea (e.g. peppermint, chamomile or fennel tea) may help to reduce stomach cramps.

Taking probiotics can also be helpful. Probiotics contain live bacteria that support your gut microbiome and can be taken as tablets or found in certain foods (e.g. yoghurts with live bacteria, kefir, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, tempeh) and drinks (e.g. kombucha).

In general, cooking food at home using fresh ingredients can help you better manage IBS as you can control exactly what goes into your food to avoid triggers.

There is no cure for IBS. However, it can get better on its own and its symptoms can be managed through dietary changes, regular exercise and stress relief.

IBS vs bowel cancer: bloody stools, thin stools and unexplained weight loss should cause concern 

Both cause stomach pain, cramps, bloating and changes in your bowel habits. IBS can also cause whitish mucus on your stools but this doesn’t usually occur in bowel cancer. Unlike IBS, bowel cancer can cause bloody stools, thin stools, unexplained weight loss and general weakness. If you’re experiencing persistent bowel symptoms, seeing your GP to rule out more serious conditions, such as bowel cancer is important.

IBS vs diverticulitis – IBS can cause pain anywhere, whereas diverticulitis causes pain on the lower left side

Both IBS and diverticulitis cause stomach pain. However, in diverticulitis, this is usually focused on the lower left side of the abdomen and is constant. In IBS, pain can occur anywhere across your abdomen and usually eases after opening your bowels.

Diverticulitis changes occur in the lining of the gut, with the formation of small pockets that become inflamed and/or infected. In IBS, no changes occur to the gut lining.

Scientists awaken viral response to target bowel cancer

New research has identified the role of the immune response within bowel cancer tissue, which could lead to new lifesaving treatments for bowel cancer patients.

The study at Queen’s University Belfast analysed over 1,000 tumour samples from patients diagnosed with bowel cancer. Through analysing the visual appearance of the tumour as well as its genetic make-up, the researchers were then able to test how the immune cells within the tumour responded to different treatments in the laboratory.

The study showed that stimulating a viral-like response within a tumour can reawaken the patient’s own immune system to detect and kill cancer cells. This immune response, similar to a person’s general response to an infection, plays an important role in controlling tumour spread in some bowel cancer patients.

Although in early stage research, it is hoped that this personalised approach to treatment for bowel cancer patients could lead to increased survival rates. The research team will now focus on developing clinical trials, with the aim to treat patients within the next five years.

Dr Philip Dunne, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Pathology at the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s and senior author of the study, commented: “In order to identify the most appropriate treatment options for cancer patients, our work combines features from the tumour’s visual appearance down the microscope with information about changes in the genetic make-up of the person’s tumour.

“We have found that stimulating a subset of immune cells to react in the same way that they would to a virus can reactivate multiple steps within the immune system. In cancer patients with early stage tumours that remain localised to the bowel, this enables the immune system to attack cancer cells and reduces the risk of the disease spreading.”

Queen’s PhD student and first author on the study, Shania Corry, explains: “Our findings show that a viral-like response within a tumour can reawaken the patient’s own immune system to detect and kill cancer cells, an approach that has shown remarkable effectiveness in our tumour models.

“We used a synthetic analog of double-stranded RNA, which in many ways is similar to a non-specific vaccine. It looks like a virus to the immune cells though it doesn’t contain any viral replication material. This is a really exciting development, and we hope that this approach will now lead to new treatment options for patients with bowel cancer.”

Bowel cancer is the 4th most common cancer in the UK, with around 42,900 new bowel cancer cases and around 16,600 bowel cancer deaths in the UK every year. The study, published in Gut, to coincide with Bowel Cancer Awareness month, was led by Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with scientists and clinicians across the UK and Europe as part of two international consortia funded by Cancer Research UK.

Dr Dunne added: “Our study highlights how research can provide clinicians with vital intelligence to make the right treatment decisions for patients in the clinic.

“We have already started the process of developing a clinical trial to test this new “personalised cancer medicine” approach, which has the potential to improve survival and enhance quality of life for bowel cancer patients in the next five years as we develop our work in clinical trials.”

This study used tumour samples from over 1,000 patients diagnosed with bowel cancer, which in turn required analysis and interpretation of the resulting data across an international network of multidisciplinary researchers.

Professor Owen Sansom, Director of the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow and co-author on the study, said: “This exciting new research demonstrates how cross-disciplinary collaborations, between scientists and clinicians, are essential to ensure we comprehensively characterise a patient’s tumour, allowing us to test novel treatments specifically designed to target the biology of the disease.”

Professor Mark Lawler, Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics and Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s, who co-authored the study said: “This important study demonstrates how scientific research at Queen’s can develop innovative new ways to treat cancer.

“The work pioneered by Dr Dunne’s research team validates our investment in “rising stars” who have the confidence to lead team science initiatives with prestigious international partners, addressing global challenges which will improve the lives of cancer patients.”

Responding to the study, Dr Sam Godfrey,  Research Information Lead at Cancer Research UK, said: “An important goal for beating cancer is to work out how to train our immune systems to recognize the disease and attack it.

“So It is really interesting that we could manipulate one of the defences our bodies use to deal with viruses so that it can tackle cancer.

“Further studies are needed to assess the potential of this approach in patients, but it is an exciting development that could unlock new targeted treatments for bowel cancer.”

The research study was supported by an Early Detection project grant and International accelerator programme, both funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), with additional funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Queen’s University Foundation, a charitable trust that funds the world-class research in Queen’s.