Paget's Bursary Research Helps Scientists Make an Important Discovery

In 2017, Jasmine Sanghera, a biomedicine student at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, was awarded the Sir Julian Paget Student Research Bursary by the Paget’s Association, to undertake research into a very rare complication of Paget’s Disease – bone cancer (osteosarcoma). We are delighted to announce that the Sir Julian Paget Student Research Bursary contributed to a paper published on the 13th July 2020.

This work was part of a larger study, which discovered how and why primary bone cancer, which is mostly a childhood cancer, spreads to the lungs. This finding is extremely important as new drugs are now in the pipeline to prevent this spread. One of the adult patient donors in the study had osteosarcoma associated with Paget’s disease and the research proved extremely insightful into comparisons between the childhood form and the Paget’s form of osteosarcoma.

Dr Darrell Green, who led the study and who once received a Student Research Bursary from the Paget’s Association himself said, “It was fascinating to see the similarities and differences between childhood and Paget’s osteosarcoma. We now have a far greater understanding of both disease states and that means we can intervene at the clinical level. This discovery would not have happened without funding from the Association, so thank you so much. Jasmine was a fantastic student and I wish her all the best with her medical career. That’s another student entering medicine with the backing of the Paget’s Association, which will also help raise awareness of the condition”.

A Centre of Excellence

The University of East Anglia together with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, make up the Norwich Paget’s Association Centre of Excellence. Under the leadership of Professor Bill Fraser, the hospital has a well-established metabolic bone disease service. Patients are seen at specialist bone clinics and the centre also hosts a service which provides specialist tests and advice on the interpretation of molecules involved in bone and calcium metabolism to units throughout the UK and for several in Europe (The Supra Regional Assay and Advisory Service).

Sir Henry Paget presented the award to Jasmine in November 2017.

You can read the full story here (pdf).

Follow this link to discover more about research on the UEA’s website.

QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about this very rare complication, please contact our Paget's Nurse Helpline.