Dr Ralf Adams

Finding out how blood vessels develop

Dr Adams leads the Vascular Development Laboratory at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute. He is studying the genes and proteins that control the development of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis.

As cancers develop, they encourage the growth of new blood vessels. This process is essential if the cancer cells are to be supplied with adequate nutrients and oxygen and continue to survive. Dr Adams is investigating angiogenesis in normal tissues to improve our understanding of how this occurs in cancer. This research could lead to the development of new cancer treatments that work by blocking angiogenesis and starving tumours.