THE pioneering work of a soon-to-retire York scientist will be marked by an international conference.

Human Cell Transformation 2019, which will be held at The Principal York in July, is set to acknowledge the work of the University of York’s Professor Norman Maitland.

Prof Maitland, who has researched prostate cancer at the university, will chair the conference, while his colleague, Dr Fiona Frame, will make an address.

Dr Frame is due to take up a lectureship in cancer biology at Hull University, collaborating with Hull York Medical School and Castle Hill hospital and using tissue donated from patients in York, north and east Yorkshire to continue her investigations into the disease.

Her work will be supported by R U Taking The P?, the men-only York 5k run that raises money for research into prostate cancer and for charity York Against Cancer.

Prof Maitland has worked in the field for 45 years, 28 of them at York, and his unit has published more than 180 academic papers on prostate cancer - research that is often cited by fellow scientists.

He hopes the conference will create an atmosphere that will foster collaborations and enable groups to work together for the future: “The conference will finish with a session where the doctors treating prostate cancer come face-to-face with the scientists to ask what each community wants from the other.“I plan to seed the audience with cancer charities and patient support groups for that session.”

His unit has produced six professors and 50 PhD and masters graduates and he has personally supervised 200 undergraduates.

He is delighted with the rise in the profile of prostate cancer: “When we started about a tenth of the amount invested into breast cancer went into research into prostate cancer. Now it is a fifth.

“There has been a change, but men and research funders are still not taking it seriously enough.”

Prof Maitland has been made an emeritus professor and now plans to write and advise, but also to enjoy his time away from work.

He will also make a point of going to RUTTP? on Father’s Day saying: “I’d like to see more than 400 men and boys taking part this year.”

RUTTP? founder Brian Hughes was sad he would not to be working with Prof Maitland in the future, but found it fitting that his colleague, Dr Frame, would now benefit from the proceeds of the race.

He said: “She will be continuing local research into prostate cancer and working with others in Yorkshire in her efforts to make progress against this disease.”