image: On the occasion of the ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Virtual Congress 2021, the European Society for Medical Oncology is pleased to announce that Ruth Plummer, Clinical Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at the Newcastle University and Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist in Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will receive the TAT 2021 Honorary Award in recognition of her relentless trial activity, which has taken many new cancer drugs into the clinic that have become standard treatments with proven patient benefit. view more
Credit: ESMO
LUGANO, Switzerland, 16 February 2021 - On the occasion of the ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Virtual Congress 2021, the European Society for Medical Oncology is pleased to announce that Ruth Plummer, Clinical Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at the Newcastle University and Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist in Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will receive the TAT 2021 Honorary Award in recognition of her relentless trial activity, which has taken many new cancer drugs into the clinic that have become standard treatments with proven patient benefit. (1, 2)
Plummer runs a phase I all-comers practice, taking responsibility for one of the most active phase I units in the UK. Plummer also directs the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre and leads the Newcastle Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre and CRUK Newcastle Cancer Centre. Her clinical practice also involves leading on the systemic therapies for skin cancer, with a portfolio of trials across all phases of drug development in skin cancers.
Her research interests are in the field of DNA repair and early phase clinical trials of novel agents, taking the first-in-class PARP inhibitor into the clinic in 2003, ATR inhibitor in 2012 and MCT1 inhibitor in 2014. (3) Her work also contributed to the development and validation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assays in early clinical drug development, assays that are now embedded in early phase trial design.
"I was delighted to be recognised in this way. Having spent my working life over the last 20 years developing the early phase trials practice in our dedicated cancer research unit, it is wonderful to realise that the work of this team is being recognised by ESMO. The ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Congress is the home of phase I and being given their honorary award is recognition for the trials team that our work is being viewed as high quality," said Plummer on accepting the Award.
"To be successful in any field having supportive mentors is key. I had the honour to have been mentored by outstanding and stimulating scientists and I hope to be a good mentor myself for the next generations of researchers that work with me," she added.
On the future of the oncology drug development scenario, Plummer sees "a bright future with the better understanding of cancer biology and the availability of rapid testing for targetable changes. We are likely to see fewer large, randomised trials and the focus of clinical drug development will be within early phase rather than this being a stage to get through to reach phase III."
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Notes to Editors
Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Virtual Congress 2021 Official Congress Hashtag: #TAT21
References
(1) ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Virtual Congress 2021 https://www.esmo.org/meetings/esmo-targeted-anticancer-therapies-virtual-congress-2021
(2) Prof. Plummer will deliver her keynote lecture entitled "Academic drug discovery - Is partnership with industry a marriage made in heaven?" during the TAT 2021 welcome session, Monday 1 March, from 11:40 to 12:45.
(3) In 2018 Prof. Plummer was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences for her work developing PARP inhibitors as novel cancer treatments for patients.
About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With more than 25,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 160 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. https://www.esmo.org/
About the TAT Honorary Award
The TAT Honorary Award was established in the early 1990s to acknowledge distinguished cancer drug development experts who have devoted a major part of their careers to the discovery and development of better anticancer medicines. https://www.esmo.org/about-esmo/awards/tat-honorary-award