Our research in London
We support over 40 research groups at our London Research Institute (LRI), in two locations:
- Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories in Central London
- Clare Hall Laboratories at South Mimms in Hertfordshire
The LRI specialises in research aimed at understanding how normal cells in the body become cancers. This knowledge will provide the foundation for developing new and more effective ways of preventing and treating cancer.
University College London is the home of one of our new Cancer Research UK Centres. As the first centre to be opened in London, the UCL Centre will foster world class research into the causes of cancers and why they develop, and use this knowledge to develop new drugs and therapies. In particular the Centre will focus on the biology and treatment of blood cancers, sarcomas, brain tumours, ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer and lung cancer.
Cancer Research UK also provides substantial funding to The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), Europe's leading cancer research centre. Together with the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the ICR forms the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. The ICR has two sites, the Chester Beatty Laboratories in Chelsea and the Haddow Laboratories in Sutton.
Below are some of the highlights of our research in London.
- Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
- All cancer types
- Bladder cancer
- Bowel cancer
- Brain tumours
- Breast cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Children's cancers
- Leukaemia
- Lung cancer
- Melanoma
- Mesothelioma
- Ovarian cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Skin cancer
- Soft tissue sarcoma
- Stomach cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Wilms' tumour
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
Prof Kathy Pritchard-Jones
Department of Paediatric Oncology
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Investigating the genetics of children's cancer
Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones is one of the UK's foremost experts in childhood cancer. She and her team of dedicated scientists and clinicians are carrying out research at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton. Their aim is to identify genetic faults that can lead to certain childhood cancers. This could help predict how well a child could respond to treatment, whether the cancer will return and how long a child will survive.
All cancer types
Dr Facundo Batista
Lymphocyte Interaction Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Investigating immune cells in cancer
Dr Facundo Batista's Lymphocyte Interaction Laboratory is based at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute. His research focuses on understanding how our immune system responds to infections and cancer.
Prof Richard Begent
Cancer Research UK Targeting and Imaging Group, Department of Oncology
UCL Cancer Institute, London
Developing and testing new treatments for cancer
Professor Richard Begent heads the Cancer Research UK Targeting and Imaging Group at the UCL Cancer Institute. He is currently working on new cancer treatments that are designed to specifically attack and kill the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. Using this approach, Professor Begent hopes to develop effective new treatments with fewer side effects than existing drugs.
Dr Simon Boulton
DNA Damage Response Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Understanding how cells repair DNA damage
Dr Simon Boulton leads the DNA Damage Response lab at our London Research Institute. Damage to DNA - our genetic code - is at the heart of cancer development. Dr Boulton is investigating how cells normally sense DNA damage and repair it accurately. This cutting-edge work is providing valuable insights into what goes wrong in cancer cells.
Prof Michel Coleman
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London
Understanding inequalities in cancer survival
Michel Coleman is Professor of Epidemiology and Vital Statistics at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is one of the world's leading experts in cancer statistics and his research focuses on trends in cancer occurrence and survival. His team produces the official National Statistics on cancer survival in England. He is investigating why there are persistent inequalities in cancer survival in the UK, for example between rich and poor people, and between the UK and other European countries.
Dr Julie Cooper
Telomere Biology Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Tying up the loose ends of DNA
Dr Julie Cooper runs the Telomere Biology Laboratory at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute. Her research focuses on 'telomeres', structures that cap the ends of chromosomes much like plastic caps on the ends of shoelaces.
Dr John Diffley
Chromosome Replication Laboratory
Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, London
Finding out how cells divide
Dr John Diffley is one of the world's leading experts in studying how cells grow and make copies of themselves. He is the Director of our London Research Institute Clare Hall Laboratories and heads the Chromosome Replication Laboratory.
Dr Julian Downward
Signal Transduction Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Understanding how communication goes wrong in cancer cells
Dr Julian Downward leads the Signal Transduction Laboratory at our London Research Institute. He is studying genes and proteins within cancer cells to find out how communication pathways break down in cancer. This work is improving our understanding of what goes wrong in cancer and revealing new ways to treat the disease.
Prof Ian Hart
Tumour Biology Laboratory
Barts and The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Tackling cancer spread
Professor Ian Hart at Bart's and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry is studying how cancer cells spread around the body - a process called metastasis. Metastases or secondary tumours form when cancer cells spread to new sites and are the cause of most deaths from cancer. Understanding this process is critical if we are to develop more effective cancer treatments.
Dr Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke
Institute of Cancer
Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Targeting blood vessel growth for cancer treatment
Dr Kairbaan Hodivala-Dilke is head of the Angiogenesis Laboratory in the Centre for Tumour Biology. She is studying how new blood vessels form, a process called angiogenesis. All cancers rely on new blood vessels to supply the tumour cells with essential nutrients and oxygen, so discovering different ways to block angiogenesis is the first step on the road to developing new cancer drugs.
Dr Nancy Hogg
Leukocyte adhesion laboratory
London Research Institute, London
How do cancers spread?
One of the things that makes cancer so difficult to treat is that it can spread to other parts of the body - this process is called metastasis. Dr Nancy Hogg and her team at our London Research Institute are studying metastasis using white blood cells, which are part of the immune system.
Prof Alan Horwich
Section of Radiotherapy
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Improving radiotherapy for treating cancer
Professor Alan Horwich is leading clinical research to improve radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment for many types of cancer, focusing on breast, lung, bladder, testicular and prostate cancer as well as lymphoma.
Dr Tim Hunt
Cell Cycle Control Laboratory
Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, London
How do cells grow and divide?
Nobel prize-winning researcher, Sir Tim Hunt is based at our London Research Institute Clare Hall Laboratories, and is Head of the Cell Cycle Control Laboratory.
Prof Richard Marais
Section of Cell and Molecular Biology
Institute of Cancer Research, London
Cell signalling and melanoma skin cancer
Professor Richard Marais leads the Signal Transduction Team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). He is an expert in the underlying causes of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. His team is looking at how cells communicate with one another and how faults in these messages can cause this disease, with a particular focus on the BRAF protein.
Prof Chris Marshall
Cancer Research UK Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology
The Institute of Cancer Research, London
How do cancer cells grow and spread?
Professor Chris Marshall is the Director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology, which is at the forefront of UK research into the molecular causes of cancer. Professor Marshall leads the Oncogene Team, which is studying the communication pathways within cancer cells that determine how they behave. Central to his research are two groups of related proteins called 'Ras' and 'Rho'.
Prof Peter Parker
Protein Phosphorylation Laboratory
Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, London
Deciphering the signals in cancer cells
Professor Peter Parker, based at our London Research Institute, is studying the signals that tell cells when to multiply or die. These signals are often faulty in cancer, causing cells to grow out of control.
Dr Svend Petersen-Mahrt
DNA Editing Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Preventing DNA damage
Dr Svend Petersen-Mahrt heads a group at our London Research Institute Clare Hall laboratories. They are studying a group of enzymes called DNA deaminases that are thought to play a role in certain cancers.
Dr Caetano Reis e Sousa
Immunobiology Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Investigating our immune system
Dr Caetano Reis e Sousa leads the Immunobiology Laboratory at our London Research Institute. His team is investigating how our immune system detects and responds to infection.
Dr Nic Tapon
Apoptosis and Proliferation Control Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Studying the balance between life and death
Dr Nic Tapon leads a research group at our London Research Institute. He is studying the genes and proteins that control the growth and death of the cells that make up our bodies. A greater understanding of these key processes will highlight ways in which they might go wrong in cancer cells.
Dr Frank Uhlmann
Chromosome Segregation Lab
London Research Institute, London
Understanding how cells divide
Dr Frank Uhlmanm leads the Chromosome Segregation Lab at our London Research Institute. He is carrying out fundamental research to understand how cells divide into two.
Prof Jane Wardle
Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Centre
University College London, London
Health behaviour and cancer risk
Professor Jane Wardle directs the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Centre at University College London and is a prominent researcher in the field of cancer prevention.
Prof Paul Workman
Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Developing targeted cancer treatments
Professor Paul Workman is one of the UK's leading experts in the discovery and development of new cancer drugs. He coordinates teams of chemists, biologists and pharmacologists to take new drugs through into clinical trials. He is Director of the Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics at The Institute of Cancer Research, which provides researchers with the very latest technologies for drug discovery.
Bladder cancer
Prof Peter Hoskin
Marie Curie Research Wing for Oncology
Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood
New ways of using radiotherapy
Professor Peter Hoskin is leading a number of clinical trials looking at ways of using radiotherapy in combination with drugs to treat various types of cancer including lymphoma and bladder cancer. He is also testing the ability of radiotherapy to relieve severe symptoms such as bone pain that occur when cancers spread.
Bowel cancer
Prof Wendy Atkin
Cancer Research UK Colorectal Cancer Unit
St Mark's Hospital, London
Detecting and preventing bowel cancer
Professor Wendy Atkin, based at St Mark's Hospital 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 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 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.
Brain tumours
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 Michele Saunders
Department of Oncology
Royal Free & University College Medical School, London
Improving radiotherapy for cancer treatment
Professor Michele Saunders and her team are trying to improve radiotherapy treatment for people with cancer. They are testing whether multiple, low-doses of radiotherapy together with chemotherapy can successfully be used to treat brain tumours.
Breast cancer
Dr Simak Ali
Breast Cancer Research Group
Imperial College School of Medicine, London
Understanding breast cancer resistance to hormone treatments
Dr Simak Ali leads the Breast Cancer Research Group based at the Hammersmith Hospital. The team's research focuses on understanding how and why some breast cancers become resistant to hormone treatments such as tamoxifen and anastrozole.
Prof Alan Ashworth
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre
Institute of Cancer Research, London
Understanding the genes that increase breast cancer risk
Professor Alan Ashworth is director of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre based at The Institute of Cancer Research. He leads the Gene Function team, which is studying how certain faulty genes can increase an individual's risk of developing breast cancer.
Prof Judith Bliss
Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit
Institute of Cancer Research, London
Improving treatments for breast cancer patients
Professor Judith Bliss leads the Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit at the Institute of Cancer Research based in Sutton. Her team conducts clinical trials, which are vital for testing new ways of treating cancer. Professor Bliss is currently involved in a number of breast cancer trials, which aim to improve different aspects of breast cancer treatment.
Prof Charles Coombes
Department of Oncology
Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London
Improving treatment for breast cancer
Professor Charles Coombes is director of the Department of Oncology and heads the Section of Cancer Cell Biology at Hammersmith Hospital. He is working on new treatments for breast cancer.
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 Stephen Duffy
Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics
Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Evaluating screening and uncovering risk factors
Professor Stephen Duffy is a renowned expert on cancer screening and epidemiology (the study of disease in large populations). He and his team are evaluating cancer screening programmes such as the breast screening programme to see how effective they are. They are also investigating the causes and risk factors for lung cancer.
Dr Ros Eeles
Section of Cancer Genetics
The Institute of Cancer Research, London
Studying prostate and breast cancer genes
Dr Ros Eeles at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton is studying prostate and breast cancer genetics. She is also involved in helping to evaluate the NHS breast screening programme, ensuring that the service continues to improve.
Prof Helen Hurst
Cancer Research UK Gene Transcription Laboratory, Institute of Cancer
Barts & The University of London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Understanding how genes are switched on and off in breast cancer
Professor Helen Hurst is investigating the faulty genes and proteins involved in breast cancer. Much of her research focuses on the AP-2 family of 'transcription factors' - proteins that play a key role in switching genes on and off. This work will hopefully help scientists to understand more about how breast cancer develops and how it can become resistant to treatment.
Prof Robert Leonard
Cancer Services and Clinical Haematology
Charing Cross Hospital, London
Preserving fertility in breast cancer patients
Professor Robert Leonard is researching ways to preserve the fertility of women who are given chemotherapy to treat their breast cancer.
Prof Valerie McCormack
Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London
Breast cancer risk in different ethnic groups
Valerie McCormack works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, investigating how lifestyle choices affect breast density in women from different ethnic groups. In turn, this can affect their risk of breast cancer.
Prof Julian Peto
Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London
Epidemiology, genes and cancer
Professor Julian Peto is the Chair of Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey. His group conducts large population-based studies and genetic research into several cancers, including breast cancer, cervical cancer and mesothelioma.
Prof David Phillips
Section of Molecular Carcinogenesis
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Investigating cancer-causing molecules in our environment
Professor David Phillips and his team are investigating how certain chemicals in our environment influence cancer development. They are involved in several national and international collaborations and are renowned in this field. Their research will increase our understanding of how cancer develops, and will lead to better ways of preventing several cancers, including breast and lung cancer.
Prof Nazneen Rahman
Section of Cancer Genetics
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Searching for genes in breast and childhood cancers
Professor Nazneen Rahman is Professor of Human Genetics and Section Chair of Cancer Genetics at The Institute of Cancer Research. She leads two research teams who are making excellent progress identifying genes associated with an increased risk of breast and childhood cancers.
Prof Amanda Ramirez
Cancer Research UK London Psychosocial Group
St. Thomas' Hospital, London
Psychological and social aspects of cancer care
Professor Amanda Ramirez directs the Cancer Research UK London Psychosocial Group based at St Thomas' Hospital. Her research focuses on improving the mental wellbeing of both cancer patients and health professionals that provide cancer care. Her group is also carrying out a project to promote early detection of breast cancer to improve survival rates amongst older women with this disease.
Cervical cancer
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 Julian Peto
Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London
Epidemiology, genes and cancer
Professor Julian Peto is the Chair of Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey. His group conducts large population-based studies and genetic research into several cancers, including breast cancer, cervical cancer and mesothelioma.
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.
Dr Anne Szarewski
Cancer Research UK Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics Unit
Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine, Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Cervical cancer screening and prevention
Dr Anne Szarewski is a Clinical Consultant at Cancer Research UK's Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine. She is a leading expert in cervical cancer and is carrying out important studies looking at new screening methods for this disease. She is also interested in how the new cervical cancer vaccines may be used to prevent even more cases of cervical cancer.
Children's cancers
Prof Kathy Pritchard-Jones
Department of Paediatric Oncology
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Investigating the genetics of children's cancer
Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones is one of the UK's foremost experts in childhood cancer. She and her team of dedicated scientists and clinicians are carrying out research at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton. Their aim is to identify genetic faults that can lead to certain childhood cancers. This could help predict how well a child could respond to treatment, whether the cancer will return and how long a child will survive.
Prof Nazneen Rahman
Section of Cancer Genetics
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Searching for genes in breast and childhood cancers
Professor Nazneen Rahman is Professor of Human Genetics and Section Chair of Cancer Genetics at The Institute of Cancer Research. She leads two research teams who are making excellent progress identifying genes associated with an increased risk of breast and childhood cancers.
Dr Janet Shipley
Section of Molecular Carcinogenesis
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Studying faulty genes in childhood cancer
Dr Janet Shipley leads the Molecular Cytogenetics Team at The Institute of Cancer Research. She is investigating how faulty genes lead to the development of a type of childhood cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. Some forms of this disease are very difficult to treat, so new approaches are urgently needed. Dr Shipley's research is revealing new targets for the development of drugs to improve the outcome for children with rhabdomyosarcoma.
Leukaemia
Dr Dominique Bonnet
Haematopoietic Stem Cell Laboratory
Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, London
Stem cells and leukaemia
Dr Dominique Bonnet and her team at our London Research Institute are looking for ways to improve treatments for leukaemia. They are exploring the role of special cells in the blood, known as haematopoietic stem cells.These fascinating cells can transform into many different types of mature blood cell, including red blood cells that carry oxygen and white blood cells that fight infection.
Lung cancer
Prof Stephen Duffy
Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics
Wolfson Institute, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Evaluating screening and uncovering risk factors
Professor Stephen Duffy is a renowned expert on cancer screening and epidemiology (the study of disease in large populations). He and his team are evaluating cancer screening programmes such as the breast screening programme to see how effective they are. They are also investigating the causes and risk factors for lung cancer.
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.
Dr Siow-Ming Lee
Department of Oncology
University College London Hospitals, London
Testing treatments for lung cancer
Dr Siow-Ming Lee and his team are testing new treatments for lung cancer. Currently, more than 33,000 people die from lung cancer every year in the UK and better treatments are urgently needed. Dr Lee is currently recruiting patients for two clinical trials called TOPICAL and TACTIC.
Prof David Phillips
Section of Molecular Carcinogenesis
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Investigating cancer-causing molecules in our environment
Professor David Phillips and his team are investigating how certain chemicals in our environment influence cancer development. They are involved in several national and international collaborations and are renowned in this field. Their research will increase our understanding of how cancer develops, and will lead to better ways of preventing several cancers, including breast and lung cancer.
Prof Michael Seckl
Department of Medical Oncology
Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals, London
Understanding and improving drug resistance in lung cancer patients
World-class scientist Professor Michael Seckl works at the Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals and he is leading a clinical trial called LungStar, for people with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). He is also investigating how some lung cancers become resistant to chemotherapy. Professor Seckl co-ordinates lab studies into the disease and uses his findings to improve treatments for patients.
Prof Robert West
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
University College London, London
Helping people to quit smoking
Professor Robert West is Director of Tobacco Studies at the Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre. He analyses smoking trends in the population to find out how many people smoke and how many are giving up. Smoking is a major cause of many different types of cancer, including lung cancer and oesophageal cancer. Professor West's research could have a dramatic impact on the number of cancer cases in the future and help to save even more lives.
Melanoma
Prof Richard Marais
Section of Cell and Molecular Biology
Institute of Cancer Research, London
Cell signalling and melanoma skin cancer
Professor Richard Marais leads the Signal Transduction Team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). He is an expert in the underlying causes of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. His team is looking at how cells communicate with one another and how faults in these messages can cause this disease, with a particular focus on the BRAF protein.
Mesothelioma
Prof Julian Peto
Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London
Epidemiology, genes and cancer
Professor Julian Peto is the Chair of Epidemiology at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton, Surrey. His group conducts large population-based studies and genetic research into several cancers, including breast cancer, cervical cancer and mesothelioma.
Ovarian cancer
Prof Frances Balkwill
Institute of Cancer
Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London
Developing new treatments for ovarian cancer
Professor Frances Balkwill leads the Centre for Cancer and Inflammation at Barts & The London School of Medicine & Dentistry. She is investigating the links between cancer and inflammation, with a particular focus on ovarian cancer. Professor Balkwill aims to use the results from her lab studies to develop new anti-cancer treatments, and her team is involved in several early-phase clinical trials.
Prof Robert Brown
Epigenetics Team
Imperial College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London
'Epigenetics' and the problem of drug resistance
Professor Robert Brown is currently investigating how some cancers, in particular ovarian cancers, become resistant to chemotherapy. Through this work, he is developing important new ways to overcome this huge problem of drug resistance. Professor Brown leads two research teams based at Imperial College London and The Institute of Cancer Research.
Prof Hani Gabra
Section of Medicine, Department of Oncology
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London
Understanding drug resistance in ovarian cancer
Professor Hani Gabra is head of the Section of Molecular Therapeutics at Imperial College, London. His research focuses on ovarian cancer. He is currently investigating the genes and proteins that cause resistance to chemotherapy drugs such as carboplatin.
Prof Ian Jacobs
Department of Gynaecological Oncology
University College London, London
Screening for ovarian cancer
Professor Ian Jacobs and his team are testing ovarian cancer screening techniques to see which are most effective.
Prof Stan Kaye
Section of Medicine
The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton
Developing new cancer treatments
Professor Stan Kaye is Chairman of the Section of Medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). He also leads the Drug Development Unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital. These two roles allow Professor Kaye to take new drugs discovered in the lab and test them in clinical trials in patients. In particular, his research focuses on ovarian cancer.
Prof Jonathan Ledermann
Cancer Research UK and UCL Cancer Trials Centre
University College London, London
Improving treatments for ovarian cancer
Professor Jonathan Ledermann is leading an international clinical trial of a new treatment for women with ovarian cancer. This disease often becomes resistant to chemotherapy, making it difficult to treat. The new drug could help to block blood vessel growth in the tumour, starving the cancer cells.
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.
Pancreatic cancer
Dr Thorsten Hagemann
Centre for Cancer and Inflammation
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Reducing inflammation to treat pancreatic cancer
Dr Thorsten Hagemann is a Clinical Lecturer at the Centre for Cancer and Inflammation at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He is investigating how cancer cells can cause inflammation, which protects them from being destroyed by the body's immune system. In particular, his research focuses on pancreatic cancer.
Prof Nick Lemoine
Centre for Molecular Oncology and Imaging
Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London
Developing new ways to diagnose and treat cancer
Professor Nick Lemoine is the Director of the Institute of Cancer at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He leads the Centre for Molecular Oncology and Imaging and coordinates the work of his own two research teams. In this role, he oversees a multi-million pound programme of research looking at new ways to diagnose and treat many types of cancer. In particular, Professor Lemoine is an international expert in pancreatic cancer and much of his work focuses on this disease.
Prostate cancer
Dr Ros Eeles
Section of Cancer Genetics
The Institute of Cancer Research, London
Studying prostate and breast cancer genes
Dr Ros Eeles at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton is studying prostate and breast cancer genetics. She is also involved in helping to evaluate the NHS breast screening programme, ensuring that the service continues to improve.
Prof Gareth Williams
Cancer Research UK Chromosomal Replication Research Group
Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London
Understanding how cells divide, and improving cancer treatment and detection
Based at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research in London, Professor Gareth Williams and his team are investigating how a group of proteins work together to allow DNA to be copied, a process called DNA replication. His research could also help to find new ways to diagnose cancers such as prostate and bladder cancer.
Skin cancer
Prof Richard Marais
Section of Cell and Molecular Biology
Institute of Cancer Research, London
Cell signalling and melanoma skin cancer
Professor Richard Marais leads the Signal Transduction Team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). He is an expert in the underlying causes of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. His team is looking at how cells communicate with one another and how faults in these messages can cause this disease, with a particular focus on the BRAF protein.
Soft tissue sarcoma
Prof Chris Boshoff
Cancer Research UK Viral Oncology Group
UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London
Understanding Kaposi's sarcoma
Professor Chris Boshoff is Director of the Cancer Research UK Viral Oncology Group based at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at University College London. Professor Boshoff is a world leader in understanding how infection with a virus called Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) is linked to a type of cancer called Kaposi sarcoma.
Stomach cancer
Prof David Cunningham
Department of Medicine
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London
Improving treatments for stomach cancer
Professor David Cunningham and his team at the Royal Marsden Hospital carry out clinical trials to test new treatments for stomach cancer. They are currently testing a new anti-cancer drug that works by blocking the growth of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis.
Testicular cancer
Dr Robert Huddart
Section of Radiotherapy
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Comparing chemotherapy combinations for germ cell cancers
Dr Robert Huddart at The Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton is leading a clinical trial looking at germ cell cancers in men. Germ cells in men go on to develop into sperm. Most germ cell cancers in men happen in the testicles but they can occur elsewhere in the body.
Wilms' tumour
Prof Kathy Pritchard-Jones
Department of Paediatric Oncology
The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton
Investigating the genetics of children's cancer
Professor Kathy Pritchard-Jones is one of the UK's foremost experts in childhood cancer. She and her team of dedicated scientists and clinicians are carrying out research at the Institute of Cancer Research in Sutton. Their aim is to identify genetic faults that can lead to certain childhood cancers. This could help predict how well a child could respond to treatment, whether the cancer will return and how long a child will survive.
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