ProfessorPatriciaPrice

Summary

Prof Pat Price is an academic clinical oncologist specialising in PET based molecular imaging, advanced radiotherapy techniques, translational research in oncology, medical legal issues in cancer, and is currently active in enhancing the uses of radiotherapy in cancer treatment both within the UK, and internationally through her establishing a Global coalition in radiotherapy.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

When formally a reader at Imperial College, she pioneered the use of PET molecular imaging for micro-dosing pharmacokinetic and pharmacokinetic studies of new cancer agents and developed one of the best insights into the potential of the application of this technology for oncology drug development. Pat Price established the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Functional Imaging group, developing strategic links between oncologists and imagers and guidelines for PET in clinical trials and co-founded the PET based Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre with Prof Terry Jones at the University of Manchester.  

She has networked research collaborations with leading academic cancer researchers and service deliverers in the UK and has advised in Europe, the USA and pharma. She has raised more than £20M in research funding, co-founded the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre with Prof Terry Jones at the University of Manchester. Now, in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, Pat Price is  advising on the projected oncology  and other clinical research applications of the World’s first Total Body PET Scanner-EXPLORER Total-body imaging: Transforming the role of positron emission tomography. She continues to reinforce the case for a UK national facility. This, takes the form of research in immune oncology and viral immunology through her involvement in pilot studies in these areas at UC Davis. Through the PET Research Advisory Company www.the-pra.co.uk, she provides advice to organisations on current and projected future investments in PET.

Cancer Radiotherapy 

She established the Academic Department of Radiation Oncology at the Christie Hospital, University of Manchester. In 2005 she established the UK Academic Clinical Oncology and Radiobiology Research Network (ACORRN). This was re-launched in 2010 as the charity Action Radiotherapy, rebranding as Radiotherapy UK in 2021 Radiotherapy UK. It is the UK's only charity dedicated to improving radiotherapy treatment. She is Chair of the Trustees and the charity provides the secretariat for the UK government APPG for radiotherapy APPG | All Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy (appgrt.co.uk). She also founded the Radiotherapy4Life campaign which was launched at a parliamentary event in February 2019 to fight for a world-class radiotherapy service in the UK, this campaign is supported by a coalition of UK stakeholders.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Price co-founded Global Coalition for Radiotherapy Global Coalition for Radiotherapy . Initially, this provided an international focus on sharing the challenges and opportunities facing radiotherapy delivery during the radical disruption of cancer services worldwide caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and has resulted in a group of multidisciplinary international radiotherapy professionals, industry and the wider cancer community collaborating to find short- and long-term solutions for patients during in the Covid-19 emergency and continuing through the recovery. 

In July 2020, Professor Price co-founded the #Catchup With Cancer Campaign to urge the Government to catch up with the cancer backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. A petition with over 377,000 signatories was delivered to 10 Downing Street and the campaign has received almost weekly press coverage as well as being featured on Panorama.

In 2020 Professor Price was invited to join the Imperial College High Energy Physics department research programme LhARA (Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications) to support the radiation biology and clinical direction. LhARA | Research groups | Imperial College London is a revolutionary, internationally leading system that uses a laser to produce high energy protons and ions. If successful this new technique will stimulate new research directions in fundamental physics, material science and radiotherapy enhanced immune therapy. 

Teaching and research activities

Being experienced in medical legal issues in cancer management, she continues to lecture to the legal community and NHSLA on oncology aspects of litigation. Professor Price has trained 22 clinical research fellows in experimental medicine to research degree level (including 8 international awards). She is the co-editor of the standard UK oncology textbook 'Treatment of Cancer', now in its 7th edition. She was President of the British Oncological Association from 2002 to 2004 and was a member of the 2008 UK Research Assessment Exercise oncology subcommittee. Professor Price has over 400 scientific publications and an H- index of 61.

Selected Publications

Journal Articles

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