Bowel cancer research
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. More than 41,000 people are diagnosed with this disease and around 16,000 people die of bowel cancer each year in the UK.
The good news is that survival rates have doubled over the last 30 years and over half of people diagnosed with bowel cancer will survive for at least five years after diagnosis. But we still have a long way to go.
Cancer Research UK is a major supporter of research into all aspects of bowel cancer. In 1993, Stephanie Moore M.B.E. established the The Bobby Moore Fund in partnership with Cancer Research UK, to raise money for research into this disease. Read more about our impact on bowel cancer over the years.
We also provide a range of information materials aimed at patients and carers - there is a section dealing extensively with bowel cancer on our CancerHelp website.
Below are some of the highlights of our bowel cancer research portfolio. Visit MyProjects to donate directly to our research into the disease.
Or find out more on our bowel cancer briefsheet.
On this page
Cancer biology
Prof Inke Näthke
Cell and Developmental Biology
University of Dundee, Dundee
The role of APC in bowel cancer
Professor Inke Näthke, based at the University of Dundee, is investigating a gene called APC, which is faulty in many cases of bowel cancer. Professor Näthke is particularly interested in the role of APC in cell movement and cell division because these important processes are disrupted in cancer cells.
Prof Trevor Dale
School of Biosciences
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Studying gene faults involved in liver and bowel cancer
Professor Trevor Dale and his team at the University of Cardiff are investigating faults in important genes that can lead to bowel or liver cancer. By understanding more about these faulty genes, Professor Dale's work is paving the way for new treatments for these diseases.
Dr Abdolrahman Shams Nateri
Cancer Genetics and Stem Cell Group
Division of Pre-Clinical Oncology
University of Nottingham, Nottingham
Understanding how bowel cancer develops
Dr Abdolrahman Shams Nateri at the University of Nottingham is studying a protein called Fbw7, which is thought to protect against cancer by preventing normal cells from turning into cancer cells. His research should lead to new ways to tackle bowel cancer, one of the most common cancers in the UK.
Prof Owen Sansom
Wnt Signalling and Colorectal Cancer Group
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow
Understanding the molecular mistakes in bowel cancer
Professor Owen Sansom is Deputy Director at our Beatson Institute for Cancer Research. He and his team are investigating the molecular changes that happen in bowel cells that ultimately lead to bowel cancer. Finding out more about how it develops will help scientists to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease.
Dr Doug Winton
Stem Cell Biology of the Intestine Group
Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Studying stem cells in bowel cancer
Dr Doug Winton runs a research group at our Cambridge Research Institute. He and his team are investigating how stem cells can fuel the growth of bowel cancer.
Cancer genes
Prof Malcolm Dunlop
Department of Surgery, MRC Human Genetics Unit
Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
The genetic causes of bowel cancer
Professor Malcolm Dunlop is leading research into the genetic and environmental causes of bowel cancer at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh. Bowel cancer is the UK's third most common cancer and Scotland itself has one of the highest rates of this disease in the world.
Prof Richard Houlston
Molecular and Population Genetics Team
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Genes and cancer
Professor Richard Houlston and his team are searching for cancer genes. They are carrying out large-scale studies of human populations to discover genetic faults that increase the risk of certain types of cancer including bowel, brain and lung. They are also searching for genes that influence a person's sensitivity to the effects of radiation.
Prof Ian Tomlinson
Population and Functional Genetics Laboratory
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford
Genes and bowel cancer
Professor Ian Tomlinson is Head of the Population and Functional Genetics Lab at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford. His main research interest is cancer genetics, focusing particularly on the genes involved in bowel cancer.
Clinical trials
Prof Caroline Dive
Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
Developing new cancer treatments
Professor Caroline Dive leads the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group at the Cancer Research UK Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester. Her team carry out lab studies and early clinical research into new cancer drugs. Professor Dive also carries out important research into drug resistance in bowel cancer.
Prof John Primrose
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
University of Southampton, Southampton
Better treatments for bile duct cancer
Professor John Primrose is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and is based at the University of Southampton. He heads up a clinical trial investigating how to improve treatment for people with cancer of the bile duct, and he is also researching treatments for bowel cancer.
Diet
Prof Chris Paraskeva
Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group
University of Bristol, Bristol
Preventing and treating bowel cancer
Professor Chris Paraskeva is an international expert in bowel cancer. He leads the Cancer Research UK Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group at the University of Bristol. His team is looking into many different aspects of bowel cancer including new ways to both prevent and treat the disease.
Drug discovery & development
Prof Chris Paraskeva
Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group
University of Bristol, Bristol
Preventing and treating bowel cancer
Professor Chris Paraskeva is an international expert in bowel cancer. He leads the Cancer Research UK Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group at the University of Bristol. His team is looking into many different aspects of bowel cancer including new ways to both prevent and treat the disease.
Drug resistance
Prof Caroline Dive
Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
Developing new cancer treatments
Professor Caroline Dive leads the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group at the Cancer Research UK Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester. Her team carry out lab studies and early clinical research into new cancer drugs. Professor Dive also carries out important research into drug resistance in bowel cancer.
Prof Paddy Johnston
Cancer Research UK Drug Resistance Group
Queen's University, Belfast
Understanding drug resistance in bowel cancer
Professor Paddy Johnston is Dean of the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen's University, Belfast and is an international leader in bowel cancer research. His team's cutting-edge work is investigating why some bowel cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy. This research will reveal new ways to overcome the problem of resistance and could save many lives in the future.
Genes
Prof Alan Clarke
The Genetics Group, School of Biosciences
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Understanding how bowel cancer develops
Professor Alan Clarke at Cardiff University is studying how bowel cancer develops. His research focuses on the role of the APC gene, which is found to be faulty in many cases of bowel cancer.
Preventing cancer
Dr Farhat Din
MRC Human Genetics Unit
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
Understanding how aspirin reduces bowel cancer risk
Dr Farhat Din holds a prestigious Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship, investigating how the common household drug aspirin works to reduce the risk of bowel cancer. Her work could help to find the best way to use aspirin to prevent the disease, and lead to better prevention strategies in the future.
Prof Malcolm Dunlop
Department of Surgery, MRC Human Genetics Unit
Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
The genetic causes of bowel cancer
Professor Malcolm Dunlop is leading research into the genetic and environmental causes of bowel cancer at the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh. Bowel cancer is the UK's third most common cancer and Scotland itself has one of the highest rates of this disease in the world.
Prof Chris Paraskeva
Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group
University of Bristol, Bristol
Preventing and treating bowel cancer
Professor Chris Paraskeva is an international expert in bowel cancer. He leads the Cancer Research UK Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group at the University of Bristol. His team is looking into many different aspects of bowel cancer including new ways to both prevent and treat the disease.
Screening
Prof Wendy Atkin
Cancer Research UK Colorectal Cancer Unit
Imperial College, London
Detecting and preventing bowel cancer
Professor Wendy Atkin, based at Imperial College in London, is a prominent bowel cancer researcher. Her research focuses on preventing the disease and detecting it early.
Prof Jack Cuzick
Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics
Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Cancer prevention and screening
Professor Jack Cuzick runs the internationally renowned Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute in London. The department carries out a huge range of research on many different cancer types, and is concerned with cancer prevention and screening, especially for breast, cervical and bowel cancers.
Prof Peter Sasieni
Biostatistics and Cancer Epidemiology Group
Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Improving cancer screening
Professor Peter Sasieni is a respected researcher in the field of cancer screening. Based at the Wolfson Institute in London, he is helping to ensure that existing NHS cervical screening programme runs as efficiently as possible. He is also working to improve bowel screening for people at high risk of the disease. And he is director of a new clinical trials unit specialising in cancer screening and prevention.
Stem cells
Prof Owen Sansom
Wnt Signalling and Colorectal Cancer Group
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow
Understanding the molecular mistakes in bowel cancer
Professor Owen Sansom is Deputy Director at our Beatson Institute for Cancer Research. He and his team are investigating the molecular changes that happen in bowel cells that ultimately lead to bowel cancer. Finding out more about how it develops will help scientists to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease.
Dr Doug Winton
Stem Cell Biology of the Intestine Group
Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Studying stem cells in bowel cancer
Dr Doug Winton runs a research group at our Cambridge Research Institute. He and his team are investigating how stem cells can fuel the growth of bowel cancer.
- Share this: Tweet
-
-
- Print this page
-
Email this page
Increase text
Decrease text
Print this page
