Our research in the UK is shown below
Current research grants
Dr Victoria Burley
Nutritional Epidemiology Group, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatics, LIGHT
University of Leeds
Leeds, UK
Project title: The role of fruit, vegetables and associated nutrients and patterns on weight change in middle-aged women (2007/34)
Study Population: UK Women's Cohort Study. This is one of the largest cohort studies investigating associations between diet and cancer in the UK. A cohort of over 35,000 middle-aged women has been created encompassing a wide range of different eating patterns.
Dr Marcus Cooke
Dept of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine and Genetics
University of Leicester
Leicester, UK
Project title: Maternal caffeine intake and the presence of chromosomal abnormalities in neonatal blood: implications for future cancer risk (2008/57)
Study Population: The samples in this study were previously collected as part of a study to investigate the effect of maternal caffeine consumption, upon foetal growth. This study involved the recruitment of 1340 low risk women in Leicester, UK.
Dr Ashley Cooper
Dept of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences
University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
Project 1 title: Personal and Environmental Determinants of Eating Behaviours and Obesity in Adolescents (PEACHEB) (2007/41)
Project 2 title: PEACH: Personal and Environmental Determinants of Children's Health (R2010/258)
Study Population for projects 1 and 2: Personal and Environmental Associations with Children's Health (PEACH) study. The Project is designed to map children's health behaviours in relation to their neighbourhood and the built environment, with a particular focus on changes in physical activity levels from primary to secondary school.
Dr. Graham Burdge
Institute of Human Nutrition
University of Southampton School of Medicine
Southampton, UK
Project title: Folic acid, epigenetic regulation of BRCA genes and DNA repair in healthy and cancer cells (2011/420)
Study population: This study uses different types of cells, normal and cancer and will investigate how they respond to folic acid treatment and examine how this affects the control of the BRCA genes and their ability to repair damaged DNA thus contributing to an increased understanding on how nutrients modify cancer risk.
Professor Christopher Elliott
Queen's University Belfast
London, UK
Project title: Development of rapid, high-throughput immunochemical techniques to measure (adducted protein) biomarkers of heterocyclic amine (HCA) exposure (2010/255)
Study Population: This study uses data from the Young Hearts 2000 adolescents’ cohort at the Queen’s University Belfast, a cross-sectional representative sample of 12 and 15 year olds (n=2000) from Northern Ireland.
Prof Peter B. Farmer
Dept of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine
University of Leicester
Leicester, UK
Project title: Assessment of the genotoxicity of dietary acrylamide (2009/25)
Study Population: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This is a multicentre study of approximately 500,000 participants from 10 European countries.
Prof William E Farrell
Dept of Human Disease & Genomics, Institute for Science & Technology
Keele University
Stoke on Trent, UK
Project title: Effect of maternal folate intake on fetal methylation and gene expression patterns of growth regulatory genes: A whole genome approach (2008/15)
Study Population: This project uses data from women attending the antenatal clinics at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS).
Prof David Gunnell
Dept of Social Medicine
University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
Project title: Anthropometric markers of childhood nutrition and cancer: associations of height, leg length, foot size and shoulder breadth with cancer in the Boyd Orr cohort (2006/03)
Study Population: The Boyd Orr cohort. The cohort is based on the long term follow-up of 4,999 children who were surveyed in the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust’s study of Family Diet and Health in Pre-War Britain (1937-1939).
Dr Susan Jebb
MRC Human Nutrition Research, Medical Research Council
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, UK
Project title: Dietary determinants of fat mass in adolescents. (2008/31)
Study Population: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This cohort follows more than 14,000 mothers enrolled during pregnancy in 1991 and 1992 and their children.
Prof Kay-Tee Khaw
Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Medical Research Council
University of Cambridge
Cambridge, UK
Project 1 title: Nested prospective case control study in breast and colorectal cancer of a new biomarker for sugars intake and impact of biomarkers on risk assessment of diet in relation to cancer (2007/53)
Study Population 1: EPIC Norfolk. This includes over 30,000 participants men and women who were aged between 45 and 74 when they joined the study, who lived in Norwich and the surrounding towns and rural areas.
Project 2 title: Diet, activity, psychosocial factors and survival from breast cancer (2008/21)
Study Population 2: Studies of Epidemiology And Risk Factors in Cancer Heredity (SEARCH).
Prof Richard Martin
Dept of Social Medicine
University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
Project 1 title: Association of circulating vitamin D metabolite levels with incidence and progression of screen-detected prostate cancer (2006/15)
Project 2 title: Association of factors in the folate metabolic pathway with prostate cancer incidence and progression (2007/07)
Project 3 title: The causal role of the nutritionally regulated insulin-like growth factor system in prostate cancer: Mendelian randomization study (2011/419)
Study Population for all projects: Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment trial (ProtecT) study. The ProtecT study is a research project taking place in nine parts of the UK and was open for recruitment between 2001 and 2008.
Dr Teresa Norat
Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health
Imperial College London
UK
Project title: Adherance to the WCRF/AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations and Cancer Risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) (2009/44)
Study Population: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This is a multicentre study of approximately 500,000 participants from 10 European countries.
Dr Kate Northstone
Dept of Social Medicine
University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
Project title: The relationship between dietary patterns and changes in body fatness and lean mass in a contemporary cohort of children (2009/23 )
Study Population: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This cohort follows more than 14,000 mothers enrolled during pregnancy in 1991 and 1992 and their children.
Prof Hilary Powers
Human Nutrition Unit
University of Sheffield
Sheffield, UK
Project title: Evaluation of the role of cervical cell folate status and gene specific methylation motif as determinants of HPV persistence: a nested case-control study (2009/30)
Study Population: A Randomised Trial of HPV Testing in Primary Cervical Screening (ARTISTIC) Trial. This trial began in June 2001 and takes place in Manchester, Stockport, Wigan & Leigh and Salford & Trafford.
Dr Alice Simon
Health Behaviour Research Centre
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
University College London
London, UK
Project title: Feasibility study of a personally tailored distance-based multiple behaviour change intervention in colorectal cancer survivors (2010/243)
Study Population: Thirty colorectal cancer survivors will be recruited to this pilot study from five London hospital sites: University College, Princess Alexandra, North Middlesex, St Mark’s and the Royal Free.
Prof Carolyn Summerbell
Obesity Related Behaviours Research Group, School of Medicine and Health
University of Durham
Stockton-on-Tees, UK
Project title: TeesCAKE (Tees Consumption and Activity for Kids Experience) (2008/47)
Study Population: Tees Consumption and Activity in Kids' Experience (TeesCAKE). The project involves 9-10 year old children from four schools in the Tees Valley area.
Dr Chris Tselepis
Dept of Medical & Dental Sciences, School of Cancer Sciences
University of Birmingham
Birmingham, UK
Project title: Obesity, inflammation and iron metabolism in colorectal carcinogenesis (2009/SD04)
Study Population: This study uses data from NHS bowel screening programme (Wolverhampton).
Dr Maria Velasco-Garcia
Dept of Chemistry
The Open University
Milton Keynes, UK
Project title: Non-Invasive Biomarkers of DNA Damage Related to Red Meat Intake and Risk of Colorectal Cancer (2007/52_R09)
Study Population: EPIC Norfolk study. This includes over 30,000 participants men and women who were aged between 45 and 74 when they joined the study, who lived in Norwich and the surrounding towns and rural areas.
Prof Paolo Vineis
Faculty of Medicine
Imperial College London
London, UK
Project title: One carbon metabolism and pancreatic cancer (2008/51)
Study Population: European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). This is a multicentre study of approximately 500,000 participants from 10 European countries.
WCRF NPRI collaboration
WCRF International is part of a consortium of 16 funding partners committed up to £12 million over five years to support the National Prevention Research Initiative (NPRI). The focus is on behaviours associated with significant risks to health-such as poor diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption-and on environmental factors that influence those behaviours. Research aims to improve health and prevent chronic diseases including cancer. Some specific case studies illustrate NPRI funded research in the diet and physical activity area.
