I’m delighted to be recognised for our work on the YouScreen HPV self-sampling trial. The YouScreen study was hugely challenging to set up during the lockdown, and this recognition is also a testament to the excellent work from a highly dedicated Study Team at King’s.
Dr Anita Lim, from the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences
02 November 2021
Dr Anita Lim celebrated as trendsetter in Movers and Shakers Report
Dr Anita Lim has been recognised as one of 30 UK-based trendsetters in the life sciences, following her work in leading YouScreen’s trial for human papillomavirus (HPV) home tests.
Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2021 is the eighth of an annual series of reports released by the life sciences network BioBeat, to celebrate exceptional figures in healthcare and the life sciences.
Scientists, financers, infrastructure specialists, and entrepreneurs are celebrated for using innovative research and technology to address major issues in healthcare. This edition, released today with the theme ‘Making opportunities’, focuses on women’s contributions to the life sciences.
Dr Anita Lim, Senior Epidemiologist at the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been recognised as a trendsetter in patient impact for leading the YouScreen trial offering HPV home testing kits.
HPVs infect cervix cells which sometime develop into cervical cancer. Smear tests for HPVs are offered by the NHS to women aged 25-64 to detect HPV infections that could cause cervical cancer.
However, many barriers prevent women from going to clinics for a test, including embarrassment and fears of Covid-19 infections. To break these barriers, Dr Lim designed YouScreen – the first trial for ‘at home HPV smear tests’ offered by the NHS.
Dr Lim said: “Self-sampling is really exciting because it makes cervical screening much more accessible and acceptable, which we hope will translate into getting more people protected from cervical cancer.”
YouScreen has offered tests to approximately 31,000 women in five London boroughs – Barnet, Camden, Islington, Newham, and Tower Hamlets – where screening attendance was particularly low. The trial, led by King’s, the NHS, and Public England, is set to end December 2021.
BioBeat founder Miranda Weston-Smith writes in the introduction of the report: “2021 has been a vindication of the power of science to make a difference to human health and the UK life sciences community continues to lead the way. [The] leaders featured in this year’s report are shaping the healthcare landscape of the future.”
Download and read the full report here.
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Senior Epidemiologist