Dundee medical student wins Sir James Mackenzie Prize for brain cancer research

Diya Sarju, who recently returned to Year 4 of the MBChB after completing her intercalated BMSc in Genetics, Cancer and Personalised Medicine, was chosen as this year’s winner following the final of the annual competition at the School of Medicine’s Grand Rounds.

Her project, titled "Establishing the Role of Pleiotropic Small Molecule Inhibitor DYR1055 in Glioblastoma", formed part of a wider drug discovery programme led by Dr Sourav Banerjee within the School’s Cancer Research Division. 

The work focuses on developing a potential oral targeted therapy for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and difficult to treat brain cancers.

Diya said she had been surprised but delighted to win the award, “Presenting laboratory data to a broad audience can be difficult, so I did not expect to do as well as I did.”

“It was a huge learning experience for me. I was initially nervous about working in a lab, but I have learned so much about the techniques and the science behind new treatments. It has definitely encouraged me to pursue research in the future.”

Cancer researcher and Head of the School of Medicine’s BMSc programme, Dr Gillian Smith, said the competition reflected the high calibre of Dundee’s student research, “The Sir James Mackenzie Prize highlights the very best of our intercalated BMSc programmes.

“It showcases the talent of our students and the commitment of supervisors who mentor them. Diya’s success reflects the strength and collaborative spirit within the Cancer Division.”

The Sir James Mackenzie Prize is awarded annually to the top research project from Dundee’s intercalated BMSc students. Each course selects its best project for a knock-out round, with three finalists invited to present at Grand Rounds.

This year’s finalists were Diya Sarju (Genetics, Cancer and Personalised Medicine), Isabella Falltrick (Neuropharmacology and Behaviour), and Kieran Rhodes (Medical Education).