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Our research into drug discovery and development

Cancer Research UK is committed to developing better, more targeted cancer treatments with fewer side effects.

In recent years, scientists have learnt a great deal about how faulty genes and proteins contribute to cancer development. This has opened up new opportunities for converting key lab discoveries into exciting new approaches to cancer treatment.

Cancer Research UK is at the forefront of this ‘bench-to-bedside’ medicine or ‘translational research’. Many of our researchers are internationally renowned for their expertise in discovering new cancer drugs and taking these forward into early-stage clinical trials.

Below are some of the highlights of our drug development work.

Bowel cancer

Prof Chris Paraskeva Prof Chris Paraskeva

Colorectal Tumour Biology Research Group

University of Bristol, Bristol

Preventing and treating bowel cancer

Kidney cancer

Prof Peter Selby Prof Peter Selby

Section of Oncology and Clinical Research

Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine, Leeds

Developing and testing new ways to treat cancer

No specific cancer type

Prof Richard Begent Prof Richard Begent

Cancer Research UK Targeting and Imaging Group, Department of Oncology

UCL Cancer Institute, London

Developing and testing new treatments for cancer

Prof Caroline Dive Prof Caroline Dive

Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group

Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester

Developing new cancer treatments

Prof Gavin Halbert Prof Gavin Halbert

Cancer Research UK Formulation Unit

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Turning lab discoveries into cancer drugs

Prof Bass Hassan Prof Bass Hassan

Department of Medical Oncology

Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford

Blocking growth signals to beat cancer

Prof Steve Jackson Prof Steve Jackson

The Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology

University of Cambridge, Cambridge

Understanding DNA repair

Prof Nicol Keith Prof Nicol Keith

Telomerase Therapeutics

Beatson Laboratories, Glasgow

Developing new anti-cancer therapies

Prof Herbie Newell Prof Herbie Newell

Northern Institute for Cancer Research

University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Developing new cancer treatments

Professor David Thurston Professor David Thurston

The London School of Pharmacy

University of London, London

Discovering new cancer drugs

Prof Paul Workman Prof Paul Workman

Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutics

The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton

Developing targeted cancer treatments

Ovarian cancer

Prof Gordon Jayson Prof Gordon Jayson

Translational Angiogenesis Laboratory

Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester

New cancer treatments that block blood vessel growth

Prof Stan Kaye Prof Stan Kaye

Section of Medicine

The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton

Developing new cancer treatments

Prostate cancer

Prof Gareth Williams 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