Latest News

DNA-copying overload may reveal which cancer cells respond to ATR-inhibitor drugs

Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that makes some cancer cells especially vulnerable to experimental drugs known as ATR inhibitors. The findings could support the development of tests to identify the patients most likely to benefit.

Study reveals gaps in cancer risk assessment and genetic tools for British Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities

Scientists have carried out one of the largest and most comprehensive studies to date of the genetic and clinical factors associated with cancer in British Bangladeshi and Pakistani people. The findings could help inform future efforts to make cancer screening and risk assessment more equitable.

Protein lost in lung cancer reveals hidden layer of gene control

Scientists at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, have uncovered an important way that cells keep their genes under control. The discovery could help explain one of the earliest molecular changes that occurs during the development of lung cancer. The study, published in Science Advances, reveals that a protein called LIMD1, which is frequently lost in lung cancer, plays a much bigger role in controlling gene activity than scientists previously realised. The findings uncover a previously hidden layer of gene regulation and may provide new insight into how normal cells begin to lose control during the earliest stages of cancer.

AI combines multiple DNA clues to improve cancer detection from blood

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence method that can detect signs of cancer by combining several different clues found in DNA fragments circulating in the blood. The method, developed by a team led by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Cambridge, uses a comparatively inexpensive form of genome sequencing to detect signals shared by a range of cancer types.

Scientists awarded £5.7m to harness epigenetics in next-generation anti-viral therapies

BCI researcher Dr Gabriella Ficz and team have been awarded funding as part of a £5.7m national collaborative initiative exploring how epigenetics can be harnessed to strengthen our immune system’s ability to fight viruses. Dr Ficz will receive £880,000 to support her team’s contribution to the epiPRIME project, awarded by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA).

‘Sugar-coated’ tumour matrix may offer way to make triple-negative breast cancer easier to treat

Researchers at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, have discovered a way in which the environment surrounding triple-negative breast cancer cells helps suppress our immune system, making this cancer harder to treat. The findings open the door to a potential new treatment strategy that could make triple-negative breast cancers more vulnerable to the immune system and help more people to benefit from immunotherapy in future.

Professor Louise Jones elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences

Professor Louise Jones at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, has been elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences. She joins 60 exceptional biomedical and health scientists elected to its prestigious Fellowship.

Study offers clues to blood cancer risk, revealing how gene mutations compete over time

Researchers have developed a new way to understand how genetic changes linked to blood cancer evolve in our cells, offering new insight into predicting blood cancer risk.

New £1m clinical trial launches to improve quality of life for people with myelodysplastic syndromes

Researchers have been awarded £1m to launch a new clinical trial for people with myelodysplastic syndromes, a form of blood cancer with limited treatment options.

Lab-grown ovarian ‘mini-tumours’ provide new tool for immunotherapy research

Researchers have developed a way to grow miniature ovarian tumours in the lab that mimic the tumour environment found in patients. The new approach offers a useful way to study how cancer cells interact with the immune system and to explore potential treatments. Ultimately, it could help accelerate progress for patients and reduce reliance on research methods involving animals.

Barts Cancer Institute teams awarded nearly £3m from Cancer Research UK to seek novel cancer therapy targets

NHS changes guidelines for bladder cancer patients following new clinical trial results

Thousands of people with advanced bladder cancer across the UK can now receive three rather than six chemotherapy cycles after research led by Professor Thomas Powles and team leads to a change to NHS treatment guidelines. For patients, this means fewer toxic side effects and a better quality of life during treatment.

Driving Discoveries for Tomorrow’s Cancer Care

Today, on World Cancer Day, we’re sharing a new film. Join us as we go behind the scenes at Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), Queen Mary University of London and meet the people who are making progress possible.

New approach offers hope for people with rare eye cancer

A more active approach to monitoring and treating people with a rare eye cancer (known as uveal melanoma) that has spread to the liver could help some patients to live longer, according to researchers at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London. The findings, from a retrospective study of the largest UK cohort of patients with this condition to date, offer an encouraging sign of progress in this rare and difficult-to-treat cancer.

Celebrating the BCI’s highlights of 2025

join us as we look back at some highlights of Barts Cancer Institute’s news stories of 2025.

Discovery reveals new understanding of cancer-driving proteins in rare brain tumours and beyond

Scientists have discovered that a single letter change in a gene called PRKCA drives a rare and hard-to-treat brain cancer, chordoid glioma, through an entirely unexpected mechanism. The findings could open up new ways to design targeted treatments for this difficult-to-treat disease, and possibly for other cancers involving the same gene.

New spinout launches to advance early pancreatic cancer detection

Queen Mary University of London has launched a new company, Procyon Diagnostics, to provide pioneering early cancer detection tests. The company’s first test, PancRISK, offers new hope for detecting pancreatic cancer earlier, building on over 15 years of research by Professor Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic at Queen Mary’s Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), funded by the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.

Blood test helps guide immunotherapy for bladder cancer

A new clinical trial led by Professor Thomas Powles at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, has shown that a blood test to detect tumour DNA could help doctors decide which patients with bladder cancer are most likely to benefit from further treatment after surgery. The new approach improved survival in those identified as high-risk while safely sparing low-risk patients from unnecessary side effects.