Rachel Hurst

Rachel Hurst is a Senior Research Associate at the Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, where she has been working since 2007. She initially worked with Professor Fairweather-Tait on selenium and prostate cancer research before joining Professor Colin Cooper's research team in 2012 to focus on prostate cancer biomarkers. She is a member of the Cancer Genetics team spanning both the School of Biological Sciences and Norwich Medical School.

Dr. Hurst's primary research interests center around prostate cancer biomarkers, with particular focus on:

• Microbial associations in human cancer
• Bacterial infection in prostate cancer development
• Urinary extracellular vesicles for cancer diagnosis
• Gene-transcript expression as cancer biomarkers
• Role of anaerobic bacteria in cancer invasion
• Metagenomics data analysis for cancer research

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on the intersection of microbiology and oncology, particularly examining how microbial factors influence prostate cancer development and progression. Her work combines molecular diagnostics with clinical applications to improve cancer detection methods.

Dr. Hurst has received notable recognition for her work, including:

• European Urology Oncology SoMe Award (2022)
• FMH Research Prize (2023)

She has been actively involved in multiple research projects investigating the role of bacterial infection in prostate cancer development, with current projects extending through 2028. Her collaborative work has generated significant interest across academic and medical communities, with her research being featured in numerous news outlets and social media platforms.

Dr. Hurst maintains strong research collaborations with Professor Colin Cooper, Dr. Jeremy Clark, Dr. Daniel Brewer, and Dr. Abraham Gihawi, working within the Cancer Genetics team to advance understanding of prostate cancer biomarkers and their clinical applications.