Professor Fran Balkwill
Professor of Cancer Biology Director of Research at Barts Cancer Institute, Founder and Director of Centre of the Cell
My research is focused on the links between cancer and inflammation, being especially interested in translating knowledge of cancer biology into new biological treatments for cancer and in the role that inflammatory cytokines play in cancer promotion. We study the tumour microenvironment of ovarian cancer using a platform of human multi-cellular tissue culture models and mouse models to research biological therapies that may prevent relapse and increase patient survival.
Professor Marco Gerlinger
Professor of Gastrointestinal Cancer Medicine; Consultant Medical Oncologist and Director of GI Cancer Research at St. Bartholomew's Hospital
We are investigating how drug resistance evolves in bowel and gastro-oesophageal cancers, how these tumour types can be treated more effectively through novel immunotherapies and targeted drugs, and how treatment sensitivity and resistance can be predicted.
Dr Luigi Ombrato
Senior Lecturer
I lead the Metastatic Niche Lab, where we study how metastases form and what enables disseminated cancer cells to survive and grow in distant organs. Our research focuses on uncovering cell-cell interactions and signalling pathways within the tumour microenvironment that are critical for establishing a supportive metastatic niche. Our studies aim to identify key drivers of metastatic progression and new therapeutic targets to better prevent or treat metastatic cancers.
Professor Victoria Sanz-Moreno
Honorary Professor of Cancer Cell Biology
Our research focuses on how the cytoskeleton of cancer cells regulates transcriptional rewiring during tumour growth and dissemination. We aim to understand how such rewiring affects the tumour microenvironment.
Dr Marta Buzzetti
My research focuses on the use of patient-derived organoid co-cultures and genome wide CRISPR screens to unravel tumour intrinsic gene networks controlling resistance to CD3 bispecific antibodies in colorectal cancer, and possibly applicable to other tumour types.
Dr Lou Salome Herman
My current research focuses on investigating B and T cell population differences in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) mouse models before and after Bruton Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor treatments.
Dr Ankit Patel
My main research focuses on examining the immune landscape and identifying specific immune determinants that can predict the progression from actinic keratosis, a pre-malignant lesion, to cutaneous SCC. I am analysing single cell RNA-seq data and utilizing machine learning algorithms to evaluate potential diagnostic and prognostic markers that could aid in the identification of high-risk SCC patients. The identification of these markers is critical for early detection and intervention, which can significantly improve patient outcomes.
Dr Iuliia Pavlyk
My research focuses on exploring why ASS1 is differently expressed in human cancers and how this information may be transferred for anticancer therapy.
Dr Emma Taggart
My research aims to investigate the immune microenvironment in colorectal cancer, and particularly how it influences response to immunotherapy. To explore this, I am developing co-culture models using patient-derived colorectal cancer tissue and primary human immune cells including T cells and macrophages.