A scientist has been awarded a £90,000 grant for research that could improve cancer treatment.

Dr Myles Axton, of Oxford University, has been given a three-year grant to study the way cells behave under the 'stresses' that can damage their genetic information.

It is hoped that understanding the way cells react to stress and how they are able to repair faulty genetic material will lead to new treatments to stop cancer before it has a chance to start.

Cancer is caused when genes - the blueprint of life - go wrong and allow cells to multiply out of control at the wrong time and in the wrong place.

These genetic faults can be inherited or caused by a number of factors, including tobacco and harmful UV rays.

Once the genetic material has been damaged, the cell goes into a state of stress. Normally stressed cells quickly work out how much damage has been done and try to mend themselves before starting to multiply again.

If the damage is beyond repair, the cells will usually self-destruct. But in some cases the cells react in the wrong way and continue to grow out of control with the genetic faults in place, causing cancer to develop.

Dr Axton said: "If we can get a clearer picture of how cells work when they are under stress we can begin to understand why some damaged cells continue to multiply and cause cancer, whilst others automatically 'commit suicide' before any harm can be done.

"At the moment, Some anti-cancer treatments work by forcing the cancer cells to become so stressed out they deliberately self-destruct. We now want to try to activate this same function without causing damage to healthy cells as well. "By studying the natural processes which create healthy cells in the body, we will be able to develop gentle ways of switching these stress pathways 'on' and 'off'."

Director general of the Cancer Research Campaign, Prof Gordon McVie, said: "A better understanding of the way cells behave is crucial in the fight against cancer."

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