Event
Ninewells Cancer Campaign (NCC)-Rees Memorial Lecture
Professor Vassilis Gorgoulis delivers the Ninewells Cancer Campaign/Rees Memorial Lecture on decoding cellular senescence in health and disease
Wednesday 29 April 2026
Ninewells Hospital & Medical School
University of Dundee
Dundee DD2 1UB
As part of the University of Dundee’s School of Medicine Named Lecture Series, we are delighted to welcome the esteemed cancer researcher, Professor Vassilis Gorgoulis, Chair of Clinical Molecular Pathology at the University of Dundee to deliver the Ninewells Cancer Campaign/Rees Memorial Lecture 2026.
Professor Gorgoulis’s work is focussed on identifying a means of eliminating senescent cells, shown to play a key role in a variety of age-related diseases such as cancer as well as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases.
Senescent cells are coined ‘zombie’ cells as they are still alive within the body but do not function as normal. These cells are no longer capable of dividing and can negatively impact the cells around them. Over time this weakens tissues, organs and the immune system and subsequently leads to ageing and disease. Consequently, the removal of senescent cells is anticipated to facilitate treatment of age-related diseases.
Identifying senescent cells is a prerequisite to their being successfully removed, but this has previously proven challenging. Current senolytics, the class of anticancer drugs tasked with elimination of senescent cells, are unable to target these selectively as they damage healthy cells and the tissue around them, resulting in unwanted side effects for patients.
Professor Gorgoulis and colleagues have achieved a breakthrough in having developed a senolytic platform capable of effectively and efficiently targeting and eliminating senescent cells, ensuring minimal side effects.
About the Ninewells Cancer Campaign
Ninewells Cancer Campaign exists to support innovation and teaching in cancer research at Ninewells Hospital; making a difference to the lives of local people affected by cancer, helping ensure the treatment they receive is the best it can be, as well as impacting cancer patients across the world.
The Ninewells Cancer Campaign was established over thirty years ago by two remarkable citizens of Dundee, Jacqui Wood and Pat McPherson, to advance cancer research at Ninewells Hospital for the benefit of people of Dundee and Tayside. Over the decades it has raised an astonishing £23 million which has supported many ambitious projects including the foundation of the Biomedical Research Centre, the Princess Alexandra Cancer Treatment Centre and the Pat McPherson Centre for Pharmacogenomics and Pharmacogenetics. Vital initial support from the Ninewells Cancer Campaign has ‘pump-primed’ projects and in doing so attracted millions in additional research grant funding. It has enabled the Ninewells Hospital and the University of Dundee School of Medicine to attract and recruit the highest calibre research scientists and cancer specialists. In 2013, with the support of Ninewells Cancer Campaign, the Jacqui Wood Cancer Centre was opened on the Ninewells Hospital campus in memory of Jacqui, bringing research scientists and cancer clinicians together to continue the fight against cancer.
About the Rees Memorial Fund
Jack Rees was a devoted brother who, following the death of both his parents at a young age to cancer, focused the rest of his life on raising his six younger brothers and sisters. These events impacted his life and in memory of his parents, he left a legacy for cancer research. This legacy funds a memorial lecture series which encourages communication and discussion of new discoveries in cancer research for the benefit of patients in Tayside. The University gratefully acknowledges the generosity of Jack Rees.
The University’s Named Lecture Series is an integral part of our staff and student community’s teaching and learning curriculum. These lectures are not normally open to the public. However, as a valued donor to the Ninewells Cancer Campaign, we thought you might be interested in the opportunity to hear about the latest in cancer research and innovation from a leading figure in the field. Please note that the lecture will include complex technical language.
Venue
The lecture is in person at the Gannochy Trust Lecture Theatre, Level 7, Ninewells Hospital, as well as online. Please make every effort to attend in person if you are available and on-site.