Prevention and Population Research Committee

The Prevention and Population Research Committee (PPRC) supports a broad portfolio of prevention and population research aimed at understanding the epidemiology of cancer, cancer risk, incidence and survival and preventative interventions.

Research areas

PPRC Programme Awards can be awarded in one or more of the following areas:

• Population-based studies, including classical, clinical and molecular epidemiological approaches, to help understand risk and disease aetiology, and to test and validate strategies to improve the prevention and control of cancer in patients and the public.

• Translational research seeking to harness mechanistic, biological insights in order to: develop novel cancer prevention targets, agents and strategies; apply understanding of cancer risk/aetiology to ameliorate risk or better target preventive strategies; work towards precision prevention (through pharmacological, immunological, behavioural or other means). This includes areas of priority highlighted in CRUK's prevention research strategy, including application of immunology, infection, metabolism, ageing and accumulation of somatic mutations.

• Incidence rates of cancer, including changes over time and geographies. Investigation into the changes in cancer survival, driven by risk factors or other relevant factors.

• Methodological and statistical research relating to prevention and population sciences.

• Population-level epidemiological studies of secondary physical effects of cancer treatment.

• Risk stratification and associated cancer prevention studies, including identification of high-risk groups for whom preventative interventions would be beneficial and in which preventative intervention research could be conducted.

• Exploratory and confirmatory clinical trials seeking to test the efficacy and safety of chemopreventive agents.

• Development and evaluation of behavioural and lifestyle interventions to support prevention of cancer, including cancer recurrence, across a range of risk factors, which may include tobacco, alcohol, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, obesity and UV exposure (individual or population level).

• Screening as a form of prevention, including population-level trials of screening approaches.

• Policy-focused research to help develop Cancer Research UK’s policies and advocacy strategies concerning cancer prevention, including policy research on tobacco control.

PPRC funds prevention and population research across all cancer types, treatment modalities and stages in the patient journey, while prioritising the objectives set out in our Research Strategy.

How proposals are judged

Applications are judged on the basis of scientific excellence, innovation and relevance to cancer research. The Committee and its expert review panels meet twice a year and assess all applications on the basis of their scientific, strategic and clinical importance, whilst also studying the scientific and patient and public involvement (PPI) expert peer review which is collated for each grant.

 

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Observing funding panels and committees

As part of our commitments to supporting the next generation of researchers and equality, diversity and inclusion in research, we're offering early- to mid-career researchers the opportunity to observe our panel and committee meetings across our funding remit. This scheme will include positive action to offer individuals from underrepresented groups priority places to overcome the underrepresentation that has been highlighted by our diversity data report.  

Through this experience we hope you can: 

  • Understand how grant funding decisions are made to ensure we fund the best quality research
  • Develop your own successful research proposals in the future 
  • Help develop your skills as peer reviewers 
  • Have the opportunity to give feedback to us to help improve our review processes

Bringing biology to prevention research

Our new Biology to Prevention Award supports research that harnesses biological and mechanistic insights to provide new targets and approaches for cancer prevention.

Our prevention research strategy

Two people exercising, HPV vaccine vial and cervical cancer cell

Our prevention strategy outlines how we’ll work with our research community to create a world where many more types of cancer are prevented from developing. 

Committee and panel members

Chair

Professor Kay-Tee Khaw – University of Cambridge

Vice-chair

Professor Karen Brown – University of Leicester

Members

Dr Leila Akkari – Netherlands Cancer Institute

Professor Krishnan Bhaskaran – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Professor Sarah Blagden – University of Oxford

Ally Boyle – Patient and Public Representative

Professor Nilanjan Chatterjee – John Hopkins University 

Professor Helen Coleman – Queen's University Belfast

Professor Amanda Cross – Imperial College London

Dr Filippos Filippidis – Imperial College London

Dr Olivera Finn – University of Pittsburgh

Professor Graham Moore – Cardiff University

Professor Masashi Narita – University of Cambridge

Dr Stuart McDonald – Queen Mary University of London

Dr Michael Pollak – McGill University

Dr James Reading – University College London

Professor Peter Sasieni – King's College London

Professor Linda Sharp – Newcastle University

Dr Alex Smith – University of York

Professor Andrew Steptoe – University College London

Dr Eva Szabo – The National Cancer Institute

Professor Dawn Teare – Newcastle University

Professor Evropi Theodoratou – University of Edinburgh

Lisa Townsend – Patient and Public Representative

Professor Mark Tully – Ulster University

Dr Juliet Usher-Smith – University of Cambridge

Expert Review Panel on Prevention and Population Mechanistic Insights, Immunology and Translational Research 

Chair

Professor Amanda Cross – Imperial College London

Vice-chair

Dr Eva Szabo – The National Cancer Institute

Standing Panel member

Professor Walid Khaled - University of Cambridge

Professor Ann Williams - University of Bristol

 

Expert Review Panel on Prevention and Population Epidemiology, Trials and Behavioural Research

Chair

Professor Mark Tully – Ulster University

Vice-chair

Professor Linda Sharp – Newcastle University

Standing Panel member

Professor Rebecca Hardy - Loughborough University

Our Patient and Public Review Panel reviews all full applications with a focus the potential patient/public impact and patient and public involvement plans. Its Co-Chairs are voting members of the Early Detection and Diagnosis Research Committee and Prevention and Population Research Committee.

Co-Chairs 

Ally Boyle

Lisa Townsend

Panel members

Dr Alison Allam

Dr Catherine Biggs

Phil Buck

Sue Duncombe

Musa Garba

Katherine Glen

Jax Hamil

Angela King

Emily Lam

Patrick McGuire

Liz Middleton

Stella O'Brien

Phil Pocock

Malcolm Rhodes

Lisa Adam

Orouba Almilaji

William Crosbie

Firoza Davies

Mark Edwards

Elsa Graviil

Kate Hawley

Ike Junior

Heena Karania

Emily Slade

Eve Smyth

Contact for this committee

Dr David Crosby

 

Dr David Crosby

Head of Prevention and Early Detection Research

Tel +44 (0) 20 3469 6086

 

Dr Anbalakan Paramasivam

Research Programme Manager 

Email: pprc@cancer.org.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3469 8824

 

Dr Alice Burke

Research Grants Manager

Email: pprc@cancer.org.uk

Ms Emily Friar

Research Grants Manager

Email: pprc@cancer.org.uk

Other opportunities for prevention and population researchers

We support a broad portfolio of prevention and population research aimed at understanding cancer aetiology, risk and incidence, and translating this into future preventive interventions.

We fund investigator-led projects, partnership initiatives, research facilities and resources, and we have a range of opportunities to help you develop your research career.