Congratulations to Professor Sam Behjati, who has been recognised by the Royal Society for his research into childhood cancers.
Professor Sam Behjati has been awarded the Francis Crick Medal and Lecture for his discoveries on the developmental origins of childhood cancers. He is one of 25 Medal and Award winners recognised this year by the UK’s national academy of sciences, the Royal Society.
As a consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Prof Behjati ensures every child with a solid tumour in his region receives whole genome sequencing, a genetic test, which allows for more precise diagnoses and targeted treatment for patients.
Alongside his work at CUH, he is also a research fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and a clinical professor of paediatric oncology at the University of Cambridge.
His research combines single-cell transcriptomics and cancer genomics to unravel the identity and origin of cancer cells, specifically childhood cancer, with the aim of improving diagnostics.
Prof Behjati’s research paper on the benefits of whole genome sequencing for children with cancer, was published in Nature Medicine last month.
Among the winners of this year’s Royal Society awards, is Professor Sir Mike Stratton, formerly Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute, recognised for his transformative work in cancer genomics.
Professor Sam Behjati said:
I am humbled and grateful to be awarded this prize by the Royal Society. I am very fortunate to have been supervised by two masters of the trade, Mike Stratton and Peter Campbell. I would not be where I am today without their teaching and support. I now have a team of inventive, driven and kind people from different corners of the world, all united by a love of collaborative discovery science. It is a delight to see our group’s basic research into childhood cancer genetics recognised as worthy of this honour.