Cancer brings together researchers, including clinicians, clinician-scientists and scientists, tackling all aspects of cancer laboratory and clinical research. We aim to make fundamental discoveries about the molecular mechanisms leading to cancer, to teach and train the next generation of cancer scientists and clinicians, and to conduct early phase and randomized clinical trials that will impact on patient care.

The theme encompasses biology of the tumour cell; functions of molecular pathways dysregulated in cancer; genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in cancer; genetic markers predicting outcome and responses to therapy; experimental tumour models; gene, cellular and targeted therapeutics. The cancer types where we are building critical mass for internationally competitive research include: childhood cancer; cancer affecting teenagers and young adults; haematological malignancy (including leukaemia and lymphoma); ovarian cancer; brain cancer; sarcoma; lung, and head & neck cancer.

Cancer is also a clinical programme in UCL Partners, which will be Europe’s leading health-research powerhouse, and a research theme of the UCL/University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre.