Our research in Dundee
Cancer Research UK funds a wide range of research in Dundee. Our scientists are looking into the fundamental processes that allow cells to develop into cancer, and are investigating the causes of bowel and skin cancer.
One team at the University of Dundee are working closely with researchers at Ninewells Hospital. Together they are investigating why people respond differently to certain cancer treatments. This pioneering work could ultimately help doctors select the most appropriate treatment for individual patients.
Below are some of the highlights of our research in Dundee.
All cancer types
Prof Julian Blow
Division of Gene Regulation and Expression
University of Dundee, Dundee
How do cells copy their DNA accurately?
Professor Julian Blow at the University of Dundee is investigating how cells copy their DNA accurately. Each time a cell divides in two, it must make an exact copy of its DNA so that each daughter cell can inherit a complete set of cell instructions. If this process is faulty, mutations start to appear in the DNA and these can lead to cancer.
Prof Ronald Hay
School of Life Sciences
University of Dundee, Dundee
What do SUMOs do in cells?
Professor Ronald Hay and his team at the University of Dundee are looking inside cells to find out what goes wrong in cancer. They are studying a group of proteins called SUMOs that latch onto other proteins and change their behaviour.
Prof David Lane
Cancer Research UK Cell Transformation Research Group and Department of Surgery and Molecular Oncology
University of Dundee, Dundee
Using molecular knowledge of cancer to develop new treatments
Professor Sir David Lane is one of the world's leading cancer researchers, and has been appointed Cancer Research UK's first Chief Scientist. His work has been funded by the charity for more than 30 years, and in 1979 he discovered the p53 protein, which plays a central role in preventing cancer. He and his team are now investigating ways to turn our knowledge about the molecules involved in cancer - including p53 - into life-saving treatments for the disease. Professor Lane has won many international prizes and awards for his outstanding work in this field.
Prof Roland Wolf
Cancer Research UK Molecular Pharmacology Laboratory
University of Dundee, Dundee
How do our genes affect sensitivity to drugs and the environment?
Professor Roland Wolf directs the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of Dundee. His research focuses on families of proteins that protect our cells from carcinogens in the environment and the effects of radiation and chemotherapy.
Bowel cancer
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.
Lung cancer
Prof David Balfour
Division of Pathology & Neuroscience
University of Dundee, Dundee
Understanding nicotine addiction
Professor David Balfour is based at the University of Dundee. His research is revealing the causes of tobacco dependence in smokers. He is also studying potential links between depression and nicotine addiction.
Skin cancer
Dr Charlotte Proby
Cancer Research UK Skin Tumour Laboratory
University of Dundee, Dundee
HPV infection and non-melanoma skin cancer
Dr Charlotte Proby is studying how the human papillomavirus (HPV) contributes to the development of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most common cancer in the UK. Dr Proby is particularly interested in finding ways to prevent skin cancers that develop in people who have received an organ transplant. These people are at 100-fold greater risk of developing this disease because their immune system is suppressed as part of the transplant procedure.
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