Congratulations to Zaeem Cader on being awarded a United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Rising Star Award 2024!

Zaeem is an Honorary Consultant Gastroenterologist and Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow at the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that underpin complex immune-mediated diseases such as Crohn’s disease, and translating these concepts into new therapies for patients. He undertook his Wellcome Trust-funded PhD in Cambridge with Professor Arthur Kaser. He then completed his clinical and post-doctoral training as part of an NIHR clinical lectureship in Cambridge, followed by a Wellcome Trust Fellowship in Weill-Cornell Medicine, New York.

His research has revealed the function of FAMIN, a previously uncharacterised and orphan IBD risk gene. He uncovered that FAMIN is an unprecedented purine enzyme that paces cellular energy metabolism. He further elucidated how FAMIN deficiency may cause immune dysfunction with ramifications for inflammation, cancer and metabolic diseases. His aspiration to make a lasting contribution to gastroenterology and the broader public has culminated in the successful launch and co-founding of a new spin-out company that aims to transform his previous research into treatments for patients. In parallel, he is currently establishing his own academic research group investigating how novel concepts learnt through the study of FAMIN such as reductive stress may be fuelling diseases of Westernisation like IBD.

For those who are interested in the details, please have a look at the UEG Rising Star Awards website. We hope for more to be successful from their directorate in the future.