Lung and Mesothelioma
Lung cancer develops inside the lungs, often along the airways, while mesothelioma arises in the thin lining around organs such as the lungs, abdomen, and heart. Both pose significant challenges in Scotland: lung cancer is the most common malignancy, and mesothelioma is strongly linked to historic asbestos exposure.
Part of Cancer Research UK RadNet Glasgow+, our group unites experts in imaging, radiotherapy, and translational research to improve early detection, treatment, and patient outcomes. We focus on advanced imaging, disease modelling, and precision radiotherapy—integrating clinical and research insights to tackle these aggressive cancers.
We work within the Living Laboratory (funded in 2020 by UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund), an ecosystem that brings academia, industry, and healthcare together to translate diagnostics and AI‑driven solutions into practice.
Research Themes
- Early Detection & Risk Stratification in Mesothelioma: Longitudinal imaging plus multi‑omics to identify early molecular changes for triage and surveillance.
- Disease Modelling & Translational Radiotherapy: Advanced mouse models for mesothelioma and lung cancer to test imaging biomarkers and radiosensitisation strategies, with back‑translation to clinical protocols.
- Immuno‑Oncology Imaging & Immune Evasion: Imaging correlates of innate/adaptive immunity linked to progression and therapy response (including RT–IO) to identify actionable biomarkers.
- Lung Cancer Biology & Outcome Prediction: NSCLC biology and environmental risk integrated with radiomics and body composition/cachexia metrics to predict outcomes and treatment tolerance.
- Imaging Radiogenomics & AI: Scalable segmentation with clinical QA; transparent pipelines linking imaging phenotypes to genomics and clinical data within the Trusted Research Environment (TRE).
Membership
Co-Chairs:
Professor David Lewis, Professor of Molecular Imaging (CRUK Scotland Institute)
Professor Kevin Blyth, Professor of Respiratory Medicine/Honorary Consultant in Respiratory Medicine (Clinical Research Garscube)
Members include:
Dr Adam Peters, Clinical Research Fellow (University of Glasgow)
Dr Alge Bloom, Senior Imaging Analyst (University of Glasgow)
Dr Chrysoula Vraka, Affiliate - with Dr David Lewis (University of Glasgow)
Dr Daniel Murphy, Professor of Lung Cancer & Mesothelioma (University of Glasgow)
Edward Strudwick, Project Manager (Clinical Research Garscube)
Dr Gordon Cowell, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (University of Glasgow)
Dr John MacLay, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (University of Glasgow)
Professor Surajit Ray, Professor in Statistics (University of Glasgow)
Joshua Roche, Postgraduate Researcher (University of Glasgow)
Lisa Duff, Postgraduate Researcher (CRUK Scotland Institute)