RESEARCH
Since inception Erase Meso has had one mission...
To raise funds for mesothelioma research.
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We were thrilled that this year Professor James Spicer joined as Chair of our Research Advisory Board.
We are also truly honoured to announce the additions of Professor Dean Fennell, Professor Sanjay Popat, Dr Paul Wheatley-Price and Dr Andrea Bille to our board.
With their combined knowledge, we're accelerating mesothelioma research.
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See below for Board Biographies.
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The board will be tasked with grant allocation for The Meso Collective Research Fund, a collaboration between our charity plus HASAG and The Mavis Nye Foundation.
ERASE MESO
RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD
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Professor James Spicer
Chair
James Spicer is Professor of Experimental Cancer Medicine at King's College London and a consultant in medical oncology at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.
He runs the Cancer Early Phase Trials programme for King's Health Partners and leads the King's Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research.
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Education and training
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Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians, London, 2012
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PhD, Institute of Cancer Research, University of London, 2002
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Member of the Royal College of Physicians, London, 1998
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Medicine and surgery (MB BS), University of London, 1995
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BA in biochemistry, University of Oxford, 1987
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Research interests
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Development of new cancer drugs
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New immunotherapies
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Awards
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NIHR Senior Investigator, 2023
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McElwain Prize from the Association of Cancer Physicians, 2004
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Clinical Research Fellowship, Institute of Cancer Research, 1998
Professor Sanjay
Popat
BSc MBBS FRCP PhD
Professor Popat has both a private and an NHS practice at The Royal Marsden. He is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden, Professor of Thoracic Oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research, and is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of lung cancer, mesothelioma and cancers of the thymus (thymoma and thymic carcinoma).
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Professor Popat qualified in 1994 from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals with triple distinction and was awarded a PhD in Molecular Genetics in 2002, undertaking a postdoctoral Clinician Scientist Fellowship and a HEFCE Clinical Senior Lectureship thereafter. He has been awarded nationally and internationally competitive prizes for his research, in addition to four research fellowships. His research interests include the complexities of genetic profiling in cancer, as well as developing novel drug treatments through clinical trials.
He also holds several national and international roles. Nationally, Professor Popat Chairs the British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) Steering Committee, is Co-Director for the NIHR London South Clinical Research Network Cancer Division, the NIHR Lung Cancer National Specialty Lead and is past Sub-group Chair of the NCRI Lung Group. Internationally, he sits on the Foundation Council of the European Thoracic Oncology Platform (ETOP) and is active in the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) where he has co-authored European Clinical Practice Guidelines for Small Cell Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, and Mesothelioma. His research collaborations with industry have led to licensing of several drugs globally, leading to implementation in International treatment guidelines and NHS funding approvals.
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Professor Dean Fennell FRCP PHD
Dean Fennell is an internationally recognised key opinion leader in drug development, a clinical investigator and translational researcher in thoracic oncology, stratified therapy, immuno-oncology and mesothelioma . He has designed and led several investigator-initiated trials from phase 1 through phase III (including NERO, CONFIRM, VIM, MIST, MESO2).
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He is the past president of the International mesothelioma interest group, past NCRI mesothelioma chair, has co-authored both UK BTS, and European (ESMO, ERS) mesothelioma treatment guidelines and served two terms on the EORTC board. His lab currently focuses on novel precision medicine strategies and understanding mesothelioma evolution. Prof. Fennell held two prestigious CRUK clinician scientist and MRC doctoral fellowships. He originally trained in pharmacology (1st class) and medicine at UCL , then completed medical training in the London Golden circuit, completing his Medical Oncology specialist training at Barts Hospital, London.
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He has published over 160 peer reviewed articles in journals including The Lancet, Lancet Oncology, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature. In 2023 he was awarded the International Mesothelioma Interest group Research Medal.
Dr Andrea Bille
MD FRCS PhD
In 2012 Andrea started working at the National Institute of Cancer in Milan as a locum consultant in thoracic surgery and started his clinical PhD on surgical treatment of Mesothelioma. Andrea obtained a permanent position in Milan in January 2014.
In 2013/2014 he was appointed professor in thoracic surgery at the Nursing School.
He was appointed at Guy's Hospital in 2015.
Andrea is a member of several international associations studying thoracic malignancies: IASLC (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer), ESTS (European Society of Thoracic Surgeons), ITMIG (International Thymic Malignancies Interest Group).
He is an editor for the thoracic surgery section of Tumori Journal and also the leader of the ESTS mesothelioma registry.
Andrea has attended and presented several studies on thoracic malignancies at international meetings. 55 abstracts and posters were accepted (IASLC, ESTS, Society of Thoracic Surgery, British Thoracic Oncology Group).Education and training
Andrea Bille graduated from the University of Turin, Italy in 2005. He completed his training in general thoracic surgery in 2011 and spent four years of training in Italy and one year at Guy’s Hospital in London.
At the end of his residency, Andrea did a one year fellowship in general thoracic surgery at Guy’s Hospital, mainly focussing on minimally invasive surgery and mesothelioma surgery.
In July 2014 he started a clinical fellowship in thoracic surgical oncology at memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.
Andrea completed his PhD in November 2015, publishing part of the results in the Thoracic Oncology Journal.
Dr Paul Wheatley-Price
BSc, MBChB, FRCP (UK), MD
Dr. Paul Wheatley-Price is Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, and a medical oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, specializing in the treatment of thoracic malignancies and carcinoma of unknown primary. He is the lung cancer disease site lead in medical oncology, and also the Program Director for the University of Ottawa Residency Training Program.
From 2016-2021 Dr. Wheatley-Price served as President of Lung Cancer Canada, where he remains a Board member and active lung cancer advocate.
Dr. Wheatley-Price attended medical school in the UK, at the University of St. Andrews (1991-1994) and the University of Manchester (1994 - 1997). He received specialist medical oncology training in Wellington, New Zealand, in London, UK and finally as a Fellow in Lung Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto.
He has been in Ottawa since 2009.