On 13 October PhD student Muhamad O Shafiq started collecting biopsies of normal, benign and malignant upper gastrointestinal tissues from patients visiting the new endoscopy unit at Kingston Hospital, as part of a three year research study investigating the role of Human Papillomavirus in the development of upper gastrointestinal (oesophageal and gastric) cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic has meant new protocols had to be put in place before samples could begin being collected. It is hoped this research, which is being supported by the Laurie Todd Foundation, will lead to future insights into the causes and treatment of these increasingly common cancers, via early screening and vaccination.