A BOLTON man who first studied science at Thornleigh Salesian College in Sharples and is now the head of a multi-million pound breast cancer research lab has had a Royal appointment.

Dr Alan Ashworth, 39, who grew up in Tonge Moor where his parents and brother still live, is in charge of a staff of 100 and responsible for spending an annual budget of £5 million at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre in London.

Returns

And when the centre officially opened two weeks ago, Dr Ashworth gave patron of the charity Prince Charles a guided tour of the new hi-tech labs in which the team of scientists and medics hope to find a cure for breast cancer.

It is a far cry from the days when he used to kick a football about in Tonge Moor Road but Dr Ashworth certainly has not forgotten his roots.

Though he is now based in the capital with his fiancee, he still returns to his parents' home regularly and will be back early in the new year.

He won't be able to spend too much time in Bolton though. Since landing the job at Breakthrough, Dr Ashworth is busier now than he's ever been. He admits it is very stressful and a big responsibility but he is confident that he and his team will be able to make inroads into the disease which kills 14,000 women every year.

"It would be naive of people to think that we will find a cure but our aim is to influence breast cancer survival rates," he said.

"It is a hard job. There is a lot of expectation and I will be working long hours but Breakthrough are a very supportive organisation and everyone here is involved with cancer sufferers so they really want us to make a difference.

"There is an awful lot of responsibility for me personally and a lot of money involved but I am determined to keep plugging away until we make a breakthrough."

Dr Ashworth - who first hit the headlines in 1995 when as head of the Cancer Research Campaign laboratory he discovered a gene linked with triggering breast cancer - left Bolton to study chemistry and biology at Imperial College in London, where he gained a PhD.

His parents, Arthur and Dorothy, of Lansdowne Close, Tonge Moor, say they are very proud of their son. He also has a sister, Michelle, and brother, Mark, who live in the area.

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