Paul Lorigan

Overview

Paul Lorigan leads a research based clinical medicine, specialising in developing new treatments for malignant melanoma.

Melanoma Research has been prioritised by MCRC as one of the six tumour types for development with the aim of making these internationally competitive. Paul Lorigan (PL) is progressing this:

• PL will be pivotal to delivering the clinical/translational component of Wellcome Senior Investigator Award (Professor Richard Marais).
• PL is significantly increasing number of clinical samples for translational and basic research.
• The grant from EME for a clinical trial of Adoptive Cell Therapy in Manchester relied on PL providing the melanoma expertise for the project and establishing a referral pathway from other centres in the UK. Manchester is the only centre in the UK able to provide the research based treatment, and one of three in Europe.
• As a key contributor to international studies that have revolutionised how to treat melanoma patients.
• Securing grants (among others):
  • CI two immunotherapy grants (€6 million and £4 million - PI Professor Robert Hawkins 2012)
  • PI CTAAC funded national study
  • £213,000 grants other funding sources 2011-12.

Leading research at an international level as a major contributor (currently UK PI for two ongoing studies) and author on nearly all of the most important international studies in small cell lung cancer in the last five years and continuing to lead for the Lung group in this area.

Biography

Paul Lorigan is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Manchester and Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. He leads a research based clinical practice, specialising in developing new treatments for malignant melanoma. He is Chair of Melanoma Focus (www.melanomafocus.org), the UK national charity dedicated to research, treatment, education and information for clinical teams treating melanoma patients, for patients and their families. He also chairs the EORTC Melanoma Group Advanced Disease Subgroup and previously he chaired the UK NCRI Melanoma Clinical Studies Group from 2006 to 2012. The Manchester group are international leaders in research and treatment of melanoma, with expertise in signalling pathways (Professor Richard Marais) circulating tumour cells (Professor Caroline Dive), immunotherapy and adoptive cell therapy (Professor Robert Hawkins, Dr Santiago Zelenay), and pre-clinical melanoma models (Dr Claudia Wellbrock, Dr Adam Hurlstone). Manchester is the only centre in the UK able to deliver Adoptive Cell Therapy for melanoma, and only one of three in Europe. Paul Lorigan leads the clinical team that works closely with these groups, developing a model of pesonalised medicine in melanoma.