Dr Liam Bourke, Reader at Sheffield Hallam University

Dr Liam Bourke, Rosa's PhD supervisor, is a Reader at Sheffield Hallam University. He is the Chief Investigator of the Cancer Research UK-funded PANTERA Study - a world first evaluation of exercise as a novel primary therapy of men with prostate cancer.

“Our Cancer Research team at Sheffield Hallam focus on developing new treatments that can have direct beneficial impact for our patients. Evidence suggests that men who are physically active after a prostate cancer diagnosis have better cancer survival rates than men who aren’t active.

“The research team in Sheffield have been working hard for eight years to develop these novel interventions. Our research trials are the first step towards finding out whether exercise could be an effective and practical NHS treatment for men with prostate cancer. The data we are gathering could be a real leap forward and good news for cancer patients.

"Exercise interventions are a novel concept in terms of oncology services. Rosa's PhD is going to be a very important part of our research theme, as she will be working with men with very advanced stage prostate cancer who have complex and often unmet clinical needs. Rosa will be looking at ways in which we can engage those patients and improve their quality of life and fitness, which may have a beneficial impact on their response to treatment.

"Clinical research can be extremely expensive and we need to raise funds to ensure that we can guarantee the best quality data that is obtained in the most rigorous research possible. The trials that we could run would produce better results for patients and can be rapidly integrated into clinical practice.

"Ultimately, early stage trails are so important because that's where you can see the first signs of scientific innovation actually working in patients. These studies tell us if we have the 'green light' to move these new therapeutics forward to test across the NHS and redefine best practice for cancer care.