Our research into cancer biology
All cancers develop as a result of uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. This loss of control is caused by the accumulation of faults or mutations in important genes including oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes.
Cancer Research UK-funded scientists are at the forefront of studying the biology of cancer cells. They have already made tremendous contributions to this area through investigating key genes and proteins, including p53, BRAF and APC.
Our researchers continue to investigate how these faulty molecules work together to promote cancer development. This work is essential for improving our understanding of cancer and will form the basis for developing new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat different forms of the disease.
Below are some of the highlights of our cancer biology research portfolio.
On this page
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.
Prof Trevor Dale
School of Biosciences
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Studying gene faults involved in liver and bowel cancer
Professor Trevor Dale and his team at the University of Cardiff are investigating faults in important genes that can lead to bowel or liver cancer. By understanding more about these faulty genes, Professor Dale's work is paving the way for new treatments for these diseases.
Dr Abdolrahman Shams Nateri
Cancer Genetics and Stem Cell Group
Division of Pre-Clinical Oncology
University of Nottingham, Nottingham
Understanding how bowel cancer develops
Dr Abdolrahman Shams Nateri at the University of Nottingham is studying a protein called Fbw7, which is thought to protect against cancer by preventing normal cells from turning into cancer cells. His research should lead to new ways to tackle bowel cancer, one of the most common cancers in the UK.
Prof Owen Sansom
Wnt Signalling and Colorectal Cancer Group
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow
Understanding the molecular mistakes in bowel cancer
Professor Owen Sansom is Deputy Director at our Beatson Institute for Cancer Research. He and his team are investigating the molecular changes that happen in bowel cells that ultimately lead to bowel cancer. Finding out more about how it develops will help scientists to find new ways to prevent and treat the disease.
Dr Doug Winton
Stem Cell Biology of the Intestine Group
Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Studying stem cells in bowel cancer
Dr Doug Winton runs a research group at our Cambridge Research Institute. He and his team are investigating how stem cells can fuel the growth of bowel cancer.
Breast cancer
Prof Paul Harkin
Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology
Queen's University, Belfast
Understanding more about the BRCA1 gene
Professor Paul Harkin is Professor of Molecular Oncology at Queen's University Belfast. He is investigating the function of an important gene called BRCA1. Faults in this gene cause some inherited breast cancers. The gene is also often found to be damaged in breast cancers that occur by chance. Understanding more about how BRCA1 works may help scientists to design better cancer treatments.
Kidney cancer
Professor Michael Clague
Cell Signalling Laboratory
University of Liverpool, Liverpool
Understanding the genes behind kidney cancer
Professor Michael Clague is based at the Cell Signalling Laboratory at the University of Liverpool. He is investigating changes in cells caused by an inherited condition called Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, which can lead to kidney cancer. His work is aimed at identifying new ways to treat kidney cancer, helping more people to survive the disease.
Liver cancer
Prof Trevor Dale
School of Biosciences
Cardiff University, Cardiff
Studying gene faults involved in liver and bowel cancer
Professor Trevor Dale and his team at the University of Cardiff are investigating faults in important genes that can lead to bowel or liver cancer. By understanding more about these faulty genes, Professor Dale's work is paving the way for new treatments for these diseases.
No specific cancer type
Professor Shankar Balasubramanian
Chemical Biology Laboratory
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Solving molecular puzzles
Professor Shankar Balasubramanian is based at our Cambridge Research Institute, where he is investigating some of the genes and molecules that play an important role in cancer.
Prof Roy Bicknell
Cancer Research UK Molecular Angiogenesis Group
University of Birmingham, Birmingham
Halting the development of tumours
Professor Roy Bicknell heads the Cancer Research UK Molecular Angiogenesis Group at the University of Birmingham. He is an expert in understanding some of the key molecules involved in angiogenesis. Professor Bicknell is hoping to develop new drugs to disrupt a tumour's blood supply, stopping the growth and spread of cancer.
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 Julian Downward
Signal Transduction Laboratory
London Research Institute, London
Understanding how communication goes wrong in cancer cells
Professor 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 Eyal Gottlieb
Apoptosis and Tumour Metabolism Group
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow
Understanding the 'power stations' in cancer cells
Because cancer cells grow faster than healthy cells, they have a high demand for energy and oxygen. Professor Eyal Gottlieb, who leads a research group at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, is investigating the energy production 'machinery' in cancer cells, and developing ways to target it in order to treat cancer.
Prof Bass Hassan
Department of Medical Oncology
Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford
Blocking growth signals to beat cancer
Professor Bass Hassan at The Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine is investigating the faulty signals that drive cancer cell growth. He is also developing new cancer treatments that aim to block the action of these key growth signals.
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.
Dr Caroline Hill
Developmental Signalling Laboratory
Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, London
The two faces of TGF beta
Dr Caroline Hill heads the Developmental Signalling Laboratory at our London Research Institute. She is an expert on a group of molecules called growth factors – signals sent between cells that tell them when to multiply, and when to stop. If there are too many growth factor molecules – or if cells respond over-enthusiastically to them – cells can start to multiply out of control, leading to cancer.
Prof Steve Jackson
The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology
University of Cambridge, Cambridge
Understanding DNA repair
Professor Steve Jackson is an award-winning scientist, who has been funded by Cancer Research UK for over 15 years. He is Head of Cancer Research UK Laboratories at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, where he leads a research team making incredible progress in understanding the important role of DNA repair and its link with cancer. Some of Professor Jackson's discoveries have already been developed into new treatments for cancer, and others are being tested in clinical trials.
Prof Yvonne Jones
Division of Structural Biology
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford
Studying the shape and structure of proteins
Professor Yvonne Jones is a leading expert in the field of 'structural biology' - studying the shape of molecules. She directs our Receptor Structure Research Group in Oxford, which is investigating proteins on the surface of cells that play key roles in cancer. This information will help researchers to develop new cancer drugs that target these proteins.
Prof Tony Kouzarides
Department of Pathology
Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology, Cambridge
Throwing the switch: turning cancer genes on and off
Professor Tony Kouzarides and his team at The Gurdon Institute are studying how genes are switched on and off in healthy cells, and why this goes wrong in cancer.
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 was Cancer Research UK's first Chief Scientist from 2007 until 2010. 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.
Professor Claire Lewis
Inflammation and Tumour Targeting
University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield
Linking low oxygen levels to tumour growth
Professor Claire Lewis is studying how low oxygen levels within a tumour, known as hypoxia, can encourage it to grow and spread. In particular, she is investigating whether hypoxia in tumours attracts special immune cells called macrophages, which can encourage this process.
Dr Eric Miska
Gurdon Institute
University of Cambridge, Cambridge
Micro RNAs - tiny molecules with a big impact
Dr Eric Miska is at the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge. His cutting-edge research focuses on tiny molecules in our cells called micro RNAs. These molecules play a key role in controlling cell behaviour, and Dr Miska is finding out how they can contribute to cancer.
Dr Duncan Odom
Regulatory Systems Biology Laboratory
Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute, Cambridge
Reading the cell’s ‘instruction manual’
Dr Duncan Odom works at our Cambridge Research Institute. His research is uncovering how genes are switched on and off inside cells, and how this crucial process goes wrong in cancer.
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.
Professor Laurence Pearl
Genome Damage and Stability Centre
University of Sussex, Brighton
Shapes and sizes – studying the structures that drive cancer
Professor Laurence Pearl is a leading expert in structural biology, studying the shapes and sizes of molecules on a microscopic scale.
Dr Patrick Pollard
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics
University of Oxford, Oxford
Investigating a molecular mystery
Based at the University of Oxford, Dr Patrick Pollard is investigating a biological mystery. Researchers have known for several years that faults in a protein called fumarate hydratase can lead to several types of cancer, but it's not clear exactly how this happens. Dr Pollard suspects that a particular 'version' of fumarate hydratase is responsible for causing cancer, and is trying to prove it.
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.
Prostate cancer
Dr David Waugh
Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology
Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast
Improving radiotherapy treatment for prostate cancer
Although survival from prostate cancer is improving, the disease still claims thousands of lives every year in the UK. At Queen’s University Belfast, Dr David Waugh is investigating why some prostate cancers don’t respond well to radiotherapy. He hopes his research will reveal new ways of improving this mainstay treatment so that more men’s lives can be saved.
Skin cancer
Prof Fiona Watt
Centre for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research
King's College London, London
Getting under the skin
Professor Fiona Watt is director of the Centre for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research at King's College, where she is studying normal skin cells in order to understand what goes wrong in skin cancer. In particular, she is carrying out pioneering research into skin stem cells. These long-lived cells can multiply to produce many different types of skin cell and are believed to play a central role in the development of skin cancer.
Soft tissue sarcoma
Prof Alison Lloyd
Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology
University College London, London
Breaking the rules: how nerve-protecting cells grow out of control
Professor Alison Lloyd, based at University College London, is studying schwannoma - a cancer affecting Schwann cells, which surround and protect our nerve cells. Professor Lloyd and her team are finding out more about how Schwann cells grow out of control, leading to cancer.
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