Sudhir, a Research Fellow in the Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, was recognised for his paper titled “Pathway level subtyping identifies a slow-cycling biological phenotype associated with poor clinical outcomes in colorectal cancer”. 

This research in colorectal cancer highlights a novel subset of colorectal tumours through a newly developed molecular classification system termed “Pathway-Derived Subtypes” (PDS1-3) based on specific biological pathways. This previously under-recognised colorectal tumour subtype (PDS3) exhibits a distinctive slow-cycling behaviour, a “repressed-like” cancer phenotype and links with cellular differentiation-like traits. This novel subtype has shown a significant association with an increased risk of cancer recurrence when patients are treated with standard chemotherapy regimens. The discovery of this subtype underscores the critical need for more tailored therapeutic strategies that address its specific biological features.

The JD Williamson Prize was founded in 1944 under the will of Alderman J D Williamson, DL, MD, who was for many years Chairman of the Public Health Committee of the Belfast Corporation. Each year, entrants face strong competition for the prize from across the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences. 

We congratulate Sudhir on this well-deserved recognition of his contribution to medical research at the School.

You can view the winning paper here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01654-5