My research group aims to understand the molecular changes that drive the development of bowel, oral and brain cancer. In particular, we are interested in the aberrant molecules that influence a person’s risk of developing cancer, the course of disease in a cancer patient, and the response of their cancer to therapy.
Cancers vary greatly in the genes and proteins they express, and their clinical behaviour. We are working to define different subtypes of cancer based on the molecules they express. Our goal is to link this to disease progression and sensitivity to anti-cancer treatments. In addition, we have a major focus on developing cancer organoids as ‘avatars’ representing patient tumours to personalise therapy. We hope this will lead to significant new insights into fundamental tumour biology and open new avenues for diagnosis and treatment.