We’re delighted to invite you to the Mitchell Lecture, the JCRC’s flagship annual event, this year presented by Professor Serena Nik‑Zainal (University of Cambridge). Her lecture, “Bytes to Bedside: Updates in the Field of Mutational Signatures and Clinical Applications,” promises to be both insightful and inspiring.

About Professor Serena Nik-Zainal
Professor Nik‑Zainal is a globally recognised leader in cancer genomics, holding both a Cancer Research UK Advanced Clinician Scientist fellowship and an NIHR Research Professorship, Prof Nik-Zainal is the  Professor of Genomic Medicine and Bioinformatics at the University of Cambridge and a Consultant in Clinical Genetics.

Serena’s work combines computational and mathematical modelling and experimental genomics approaches to reveal how DNA damage and repair processes shape cancer. She pioneered the discovery of mutational signatures, distinct genomic imprints of these processes, and first identified the phenomenon of kataegis during her PhD. Her work has opened new windows into understanding tumour development and guiding personalized treatment strategies recognised through prestigious awards, including the Dr Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award (2019), the Foulkes Foundation Medal 2021, the Royal Society’s Francis Crick Medal and Lecture (2021), and most recently, the 2024 ESMO Award for Translational Research.