Rebecca Fitzgerald

Rebecca Fitzgerald is a clinician scientist working on cancer evolution and prevention. She has sought to systematically characterise the metaplastic condition Barrett’s oesophagus and its progression to oesophageal adenocarcinoma. She has shown that Barrett’s oesophagus is a necessary step for cancer development and has defined the alterations that demarcate the transition from benign to malignant transformation.

 

Rebecca has applied these insights to develop a minimally invasive cell sampling coupled with biomarker tests for diagnosing Barrett’s and early cancer, that she has taken from proof of concept through to clinical implementation. This technology was awarded the Westminster Medal and is a first in class non-endoscopic approach with low-cost applicability on a population scale.

 

Rebecca is Professor of Cancer Prevention and Director of the Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge, an EMBO member and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.