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Ice hockey is not a game for the faint-hearted.

Its stars need to be strong, fast and ferocious and Cardiff Devils player Luke Piggott is no exception.

But aside from his career as a Cardiff Devils player in the Elite Ice Hockey League, Luke Piggott is actually a scientist in the European Stem Research Institute at Cardiff University, trying to find new ways to target stem cells in breast cancer patients and help find a cure from cancer.

The 28-year-old, who gained his PhD two years ago, combines his illustrious career on the ice with one in the laboratory, and feels fortunate that he is able to balance the two careers, however different, side by side.

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“At the institute our research focus is to unveil novel treatments for breast cancer patients that specifically target what we call ‘cancer stem cells.’ Within each tumour there has been shown to be a small population of these cancer stem cells which are believed to be responsible for relapse and spread of cancer,” he said.

“Current therapies like chemotherapy and radiotherapy fail to target this population of cells and as a result tumours can grow back after a number of years of being in recession. Thus, the idea is if we can find novel treatments that can kill the cancer stem cells then we can hopefully have better long term survival rates.”

Luke trains with the Devils every Tuesday to Friday morning, and then heads straight for the laboratory where he has worked since studying for his PhD and also plays every Saturday and Sunday in competitive games.

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He did his undergraduate degree in medical biochemistry at Cardiff University before studying for a Masters and then his PhD, and landing the role as a postdoctoral research associate.

In 2012, Luke, who lives with his fiancée Claire and their two dogs in Whitchurch, Cardiff, made a huge breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer, when he discovered how to kill breast cancer stem cells.

And it is hoped that his research could lead to the development of new treatments which target these normally drug-resistant cells preventing the life-threatening spread of tumours.

He said: “Cancer stem cells make up about 1% of the tumour itself and they seed tumour growth elsewhere in the body so if we target the rest of the tumour, but don’t hit the stem cells, that can lead to relapse or cancer spread as they are usually drug resistant.”

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Luke is very passionate about his job and is happy to spend hours there after training, as well as collecting tumour samples from Llandough which he then tests in the lab.

But, as someone who has lived and breathed ice hockey since he was a toddler, he’s also grateful that he can continue to play for the Devils.

Successfully combining academic research with a professional ice hockey career is no easy task, especially with Luke training four times a week and playing about 70 games a season.

But luckily, Luke’s commitment, along with support and understanding from the School of Biosciences, means that neither has to suffer.

“I’m so lucky that I get to do this, and play ice hockey, which I absolutely love. I could not do it without both the support from the university and Cardiff Devils, and I’ve been lucky that I’m able to continue doing both.

“I am very fortunate in that my supervisor is very flexible with me combining my sporting career with my research. He has always been up front with me and so long as my quality of academic work remains high, it’s not a problem.

“The team are also very supportive and allow me to do some charity fund-raising which has been a really big help. Last month, as it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they wanted to do something that would bring breast cancer to the forefront of everybody’s attention, while also raising some money for charity and the Cardiff Devils Red Army supporters sold limited edition pink T-shirts bearing the Breast Cancer Campaign logo and the club logo at £10.

“Devils chose to support the campaign because they are the charity that currently funds my research in Cardiff. All the money raised will be donated to the Breast Cancer Campaign and will help fund research projects continuing to look for a cure for breast cancer.”

Born in Calgary, it was perhaps inevitable that Luke would end up being an ice hockey star. He took to the ice almost as soon as he could walk, which is not unusual for any Canadian living by an ice rink.

“I’ve been skating since as long as I can remember and when I was picking a university I purposely want to find one where there was an ice-rink nearby. I train each morning for about four hours then head straight to the lab, and could be there until about 7pm.

“I’m certainly someone who likes to keep busy so it suits me really well. I think one job is certainly about the brawn and one is about the brains and it’s nice to compare the two. I enjoy them both and wouldn’t have it any other way.”