Top
Skip to Content
LOGO(small) - Queen's University Belfast
LOGO(large) - Queen's University Belfast

School of

Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences

  • Home
  • Study
    • Postgraduate Taught
    • Postgraduate Research
    • PhD Opportunities
    • Centre for Medical Education
    • Centre for Dentistry
    • Centre for Biomedical Sciences Education
    • Intercalated Degrees
    • Clinical Academic Training
  • Research
    • Postgraduate Research
    • Research in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
    • Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research
    • Wellcome-Wolfson Institute For Experimental Medicine
    • Centre for Public Health
    • Meet our Researchers
    • Find a PhD Supervisor
  • International
    • Partnerships
    • Students
    • Connect
  • Careers & Work Placements
    • Placements
    • Shadowing Opportunities
    • Global Partnerships
  • Discover
    • Research Facilities
    • Teaching Facilities
    • History
  • Connect
    • Staff Directory
    • Key Contacts
    • Student Stories
    • Gender Equality Office
  • News
  • Home
  • Study
    • Postgraduate Taught
    • Postgraduate Research
    • PhD Opportunities
    • Centre for Medical Education
    • Centre for Dentistry
    • Centre for Biomedical Sciences Education
    • Intercalated Degrees
    • Clinical Academic Training
  • Research
    • Postgraduate Research
    • Research in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
    • Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research
    • Wellcome-Wolfson Institute For Experimental Medicine
    • Centre for Public Health
    • Meet our Researchers
    • Find a PhD Supervisor
  • International
    • Partnerships
    • Students
    • Connect
  • Careers & Work Placements
    • Placements
    • Shadowing Opportunities
    • Global Partnerships
  • Discover
    • Research Facilities
    • Teaching Facilities
    • History
  • Connect
    • Staff Directory
    • Key Contacts
    • Student Stories
    • Gender Equality Office
  • News
In This Section

  • Home
  • School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences
  • News

News

PGJCCR Post Doc Natalie Fisher Wins Coveted Roche Prize

2 August, 2024

Postdoctoral Research fellow Dr Natalie Fisher has been awarded the prestigious Roche Researcher of the Year Award.

The Roche Prize, which seeks to highlight and support excellence in life science research across the island of Ireland, was awarded to Dr Fisher on the strength of two published papers and a cover letter exploring the tangible impact of her research.

The first of these studies involved working alongside a pathologist to explore the assessment of a pathological feature called tumour budding, which is a high-risk biomarker used to inform patient care, and developing a digital method to improve its detection. The second paper involved working through a frequently observed problem in cancer research: that the complexity and variety of cell types in patient tumour samples often make it difficult to directly apply findings from the wet-lab into tumour samples.

“Despite both papers having different focuses,” Dr Fisher said, “they both ensure we have the tools to accurately understand the biology of aggressive tumours, ultimately enabling better clinical management and the development of potential treatments to improve patient outcomes.”

The application process for the award involved Dr Fisher drafting a summary of her work that explained its impact.

“This was a really useful way to think of how I define the success of a paper,” Dr Fisher explained. “For me, it’s important that other people have understood the work and can apply it to their own studies. I hope that others are encouraged to also shape their work into a story which will be useful for the wider scientific community.”

Dr Fisher completed her PhD in 2022 and now works in PGJCCR’s Dunne lab. Dr Philip Dunne was a previous recipient of the Roche Prize, taking the award in 2013 for his presentation AXL is a Key Regulator of Inherent and Chemotherapy Induced Invasion and Predicts a Poor Clinical Outcome in Early Stage Colon Cancer.

Dr Fisher’s papers are available to read at the links below:

Development of a semi-automated method for tumour budding assessment in colorectal cancer and comparison with manual methods  

Biological Misinterpretation of Transcriptional Signatures in Tumor Samples Can Unknowingly Undermine Mechanistic Understanding and Faithful Alignment with Preclinical Data

Share
Latest News
  • Queen’s Professor ‘Outstanding Clinical Researcher’ winner at Cystic Fibrosis Trust Awards
    4 December, 2024
  • Queen's to lead innovative all-island project to tackle lung cancer
    28 November, 2024
  • 2024 JD Williamson Prize winner announced
    31 October, 2024
  • Queen’s partners with international team to further develop early detection test for bladder cancer
    15 October, 2024
  • Queen’s Professor appointed to Ireland’s Health Research Board
    10 October, 2024
Home
  • Home
  • Study
  • Research
  • International
  • Careers & Work Placements
  • Discover
  • Connect
  • News
QUB Logo
Contact Us

School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences

Whitla Medical Building,
97 Lisburn Road,
Belfast, BT9 7BL

GET DIRECTIONS

Phone: +44 (0)2890 972215

Quick Links

  • Key Contacts
  • Careers & Work Placements
  • News and Events
  • Staff Directory
© Queen's University Belfast 2024
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Website accessibility
  • Freedom of information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • University Policies and Procedures
Information
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Website accessibility
  • Freedom of information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • University Policies and Procedures

© Queen's University Belfast 2024

Manage cookies