Our research in Manchester
The Manchester Cancer Research Centre
In January 2006, the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research joined forces with the Christie Hospital NHS Trust and the University of Manchester to form the Manchester Cancer Research Centre.
The Centre is a unique partnership, which plans to double research activity in the city over the next few years. It will create outstanding facilities where doctors and scientists can work closely together, allowing scientific advances to be turned into benefits for people with cancer faster.
By 2015, the Centre aims to be one of the world’s leading cancer research institutes.
The Paterson Institute for Cancer Research
The Paterson Institute for Cancer Research is based at The Christie in Manchester. It is one of our five institutes, playing a key role in our world-class research. The Paterson employs over 200 researchers who are dedicated to helping fight cancer.
Under the leadership of Professor Nic Jones the Institute is home to 13 research teams with a wide range of research interests including:
- discovering the causes of drug resistance in people with bowel cancer
- identifying new drug targets for leukaemia so we can treat people with the disease more effectively
- studying the molecular processes that drive the growth and spread of cancer cells.
Find out more about our Cancer Research UK-funded work at the Paterson Institute.
We fund the clinical trials work of the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. The group co-ordinates the care of virtually all the UK’s children with cancer, ensuring they receive the most up-to-date treatments.
Below are some of the highlights of our research in Manchester.
All cancer types
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 Iain Hagan
Cell Division Group
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
Understanding how cells grow and divide
Professor Iain Hagan leads the Cell Division Group at our Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester. His research focuses on understanding how cells grow and divide and he has an outstanding track record in this field. Uncontrolled cell division lies at the heart of cancer development so Professor Hagan's work is critical for understanding what goes wrong in cancer cells.
Prof Robert Hawkins
Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Department of Medical Oncology
University of Manchester and Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester
Harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer
Robert Hawkins is Cancer Research UK Professor and Director of Medical Oncology at the University of Manchester and Christie Hospital. His research focuses on the development of new immunotherapies - novel treatments that aim to use the specificity and power of the body's own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.
Prof Tim Illidge
Targeted Therapy Group
Christie Hospital NHS Trust, University of Manchester, Manchester
Harnessing the immune system to treat cancer
Professor Tim Illidge is a Cancer Research UK Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Christie Hospital in Manchester. His research focuses on developing new cancer treatments with fewer side effects. He is particularly interested in the use of 'immunotherapies', treatments that harness the power of the body's own immune system to fight cancer.
Prof Nic Jones
Cell Regulation Group
Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
How do cells react to stress?
Professor Nic Jones is Director of the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester. He leads the Cell Regulation Group who study how cells respond to sudden adverse changes in their surroundings, known as 'environmental stress'. Professor Jones also directs the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, which aims to build on the world-class research already going on in the city.
Bowel cancer
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.
Children's cancers
Prof Jillian Birch
Cancer Research UK Paediatric and Familial Cancer Research Group
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester
Looking for the causes of childhood cancer
Professor Jillian Birch is Director of the Cancer Research UK Paediatric and Familial Cancer Research Group at the University of Manchester. Using information from the Manchester Children's Tumour Registry, she is trying to identify possible causes of childhood cancers.
Dr Stefan Meyer
Department of Paediatric Oncology
Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester
Learning more about childhood cancers
Dr Stefan Meyer is a leading childhood cancer specialist at Manchester Children's Hospital and the Christie Hospital NHS Trust. His research focuses on a group of genes, known as the Fanconi Anaemia (FA) genes, some of which are faulty in cancer. Dr Meyer is studying these genes in childhood cancers including leukaemias and brain tumours to find out how they cause cancer cells to grow out of control. This knowledge could lead to ways to improve treatments for a range of childhood cancers.
Prof Vaskar Saha
Children's Cancer Group
University of Manchester, Manchester
Improving the treatment of childhood leukaemia
Professor Vaskar Saha is Head of the Children's Cancer Group at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the most common form of leukaemia in children. In the lab, he is investigating ways to predict how well individual children will respond to treatment. He is also coordinating European-wide clinical trials to improve the treatments available for patients with ALL.
Ovarian cancer
Prof Gordon Jayson
Translational Angiogenesis Laboratory
Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester
New cancer treatments that block blood vessel growth
Gordon Jayson is Professor of Medical Oncology at the Christie Hospital in Manchester. His research focuses on new cancer treatments that block blood vessel growth and starve tumour cells of essential nutrients and oxygen. He is particularly interested in the use of these treatments for people with ovarian cancer.
Skin cancer
Prof Lesley Rhodes
Dermatological Sciences
Hope Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester
How much sun do we need?
Professor Lesley Rhodes is a specialist in dermatology - the study of the skin and skin diseases. She is particularly interested in the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the skin. Too much exposure to the sun causes skin cancer but, in certain circumstances, too little can lead to vitamin D deficiency. She is currently studying how much sun exposure people in the UK need in order to have enough vitamin D all year around.
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