Prof. D. Gareth R. Evans The University of Manchester, UK

2 Talks
Biography

Gareth Evans is a Consultant at Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Evans has established a national and international reputation in clinical and research aspects of cancer genetics, particularly in neurofibromatosis, schwannomatosis and breast cancer. Professor Evans is a chair of medical genetics... read moreand cancer epidemiology at the University of Manchester. He has published 1060 peer reviewed research publications, 355 as first or senior author as well as over 150 reviews, letters and chapters. In the last eight years he has raised over £75 million in grants for multicentre and local studies. He is Chief Investigator on two NIHR program grants on breast cancer risk prediction and also has an NIHR RfPB grant as CI (2011).

He has led a successful bid for a Nationally funded NF2 service (£7.5 million pa) that started in 2010 and is involved in the national complex NF1 service. He is the cancer prevention early detection theme leader on the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. Professor Evans is also lead clinician on the NICE Familial Breast Cancer Guideline Group. Professor Evans is recognised as the international leader in the genetics and epidemiology of Neurofibromatosis type 2 and his ground-breaking research on mosaicism and mortality has had a major impact on treatment of this serious inherited condition. The National Highly Specialised Service for NF2 he leads pioneered use of the drug bevacizumab which along with multidisciplinary care has already improved survival and quality of life for this life-limiting condition. In 2013 he led the team that identified SMARCE1 as the cause of the related condition hereditary clear cell meningioma. Work in Gorlin syndrome led to the discovery of SUFU as a cause of Gorlin syndrome that has redefined the risks of the associated childhood brain cancer, medulloblastoma (SUFU~30%; PTCH1~2%).

He is an emeritus two term NIHR Senior Investigator and has published widely (H-index-118 Web of Science; 161-Google) and is Cancer Prevention theme lead on the all-Manchester BRC and is frequently invited as a keynote speaker to scientific conferences at home/abroad. He is now co-lead on the Manchester CR-UK ICED Alliance Early detection initiative. He was a moving force of the Prevent Breast Cancer Appeal which helped establish the first dedicated breast cancer prevention centre in Europe (https://preventbreastcancer.org.uk/about-us/the-nightingale-centre/) and has been a trustee of five charities including Breast Cancer Now (previously chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board) and the Neuro Foundation.