A very promising British scientist, Kirsty Smitten, died at the age of 29 from angiosarcoma – a rare form of heart cancer. The woman conducted research on a new class of antibiotics, which, according to her alma mater, the University of Sheffield, constitute a “new front” in the fight against human resistance to antibiotics.
Kirsty Smitten’s death was announced on social media by her brother, Matt Smitten. “It is with sadness that I write that my beautiful younger sister Kirsty Smitten died early in the morning on Wednesday, October 4. She bravely fought aggressive cancer until the very end, and her loved ones surrounded her. Words cannot describe how much I will miss her,” he wrote. The publication also included several photos of his sister.
Information about the woman’s death was also announced by the AFC Norton Woodseats Ladies sports club, of which the 29-year-old was a member. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that club captain Kirsty has sadly lost her hard fought battle (…). She was an amazing friend and a kind girl who would do anything for us. This team was everything to Kirsty and Kirsty was everything to us. It won’t be the same without her,” they wrote.
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Smitten was conducting promising research
In April this year, the University of Sheffield, where Smitten obtained her PhD, announced that the woman had recently been diagnosed with angiosarcoma – a malignant tumor – with a prognosis of three to six months. It has been described as “an extremely rare and aggressive form of heart cancer.” At the same time, the university emphasized that the 29-year-old was conducting “world-leading research on a new class of antibiotics” at the same time. It was pointed out that they constituted a “new front” in the fight against antibiotic resistance, which is responsible for 1.2 million deaths every year and may cause another pandemic. For her work in 2020, Smitten was named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for science and health in Europe.
The 29-year-old’s sports club reported that the woman had undergone open heart surgery some time ago to remove angiosarcoma. The team also decided to organize a charity match to raise money for the Sarcoma organization, which the 29-year-old supported. The competition will take place on October 14.
Facebook, University of Sheffield, Forbes