Prof Peter Selby

Professor Peter Selby

Section of Oncology and Clinical Research
Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine
Leeds

Developing and testing new ways to treat cancer

Professor Peter Selby is head of the Section of Oncology and Clinical Research at the University of Leeds. Teams in this department are carrying out lab studies into treatments for many types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, and melanoma skin cancer. Professor Selby also directs the Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre in Leeds, which brings cancer scientists and doctors together to develop new approaches to cancer care and test these in clinical trials.

Immuno and Gene Therapy

At the university, scientists are investigating new ways to treat cancer including immunotherapy and gene therapy. Immunotherapy is an exciting new area of cancer research, designed to harness the power of the body's own immune system to attack cancer. Professor Selby is particularly interested in cancer vaccines and is currently testing two vaccines in early-stage clinical trials for the treatment of breast cancer and melanoma skin cancer.

Finding new 'markers'

The researchers are also using sophisticated techniques to study the proteins present in cells and tissues collected from cancer patients. Through this work, they aim to identify novel 'biomarkers', proteins that can be used by doctors to improve cancer diagnosis and to guide treatment decisions. These studies have already uncovered useful biomarkers for kidney and ovarian cancers. The team are also looking for potential new targets for cancer drugs.

In the clinic

In addition to his research roles, Professor Selby is a consultant physician at St James' University Hospital looking after people with kidney cancer. Together with his colleagues in our Clinical Centre, he is running clinical trials looking at new treatments for a range of different types of cancer including bladder cancer, head and neck cancers and sarcomas.

Professor Selby supports national clinical trials by jointly directing the UK Clinical Research Network, an initiative set up to coordinate and provide infrastructure for clinical research throughout the country.

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