Preclinical Pharmacology

Cancer is a complex disease consisting of heterogeneous populations of cells that grow differently depending on where they are located in the body. Not only do these cells respond differently to therapies, they can also evolve under the selective pressure of drugs. The preclinical pharmacology (PP) team in NBC utilises in vivo and in vitro models of cancer to seek molecular-level understanding of these processes and how they impact cancer growth, metastasis and treatment responses.

The PP team uses mouse models of cancer, strictly regulated by the UK Home Office, our in vivo models include patient-derived xenografts (PDX), Circulating Tumour Cell(CTC)-derived xenografts (CDX), and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). These provide complimentary approaches to study the effects of novel targeted agents in a living organism, to determine the molecular signatures of tumours at the genomic, transcriptomic and epigenetic level (in collaboration with the BBS team).

This research is paralleled by our in vitro (cell lines) and ex vivo (short term cell culture directly from in vivo tumours) culture approaches to understand disease heterogeneity and plasticity (how individual tumours can be different, and how they can evolve over time), which aligns with our medium-throughput drug screening platform to understand and evaluate novel targeted therapies alongside standard-of-care approaches.

The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute Small Cell Lung Cancer Biology Group is integrated within the CRUK National Biomarker Centre Preclinical Pharmacology Team. 

Meet The Team

Laura Burks

Laura Burks

Deputy Team Lead

Melanie Galvin

Melanie Galvin

in vivo Team Manager

Darryl Coles

Darryl Coles

Scientific Officer

Ellie Rees

Ellie Rees

PhD Student

Emma Playle

Emma Playle

Scientific Officer

Mackenzie Roylance

Mackenzie Roylance

Scientific Assistant

Pagona Sfyri

Pagona Sfyri

Senior Scientific Officer

Rebecca Carroll

Rebecca Carroll

Higher Scientific Officer

Shria Singh

Shria Singh

Scientific Assistant

CRUK Manchester Institute Small Cell Biology Team

Linda Julian

Linda Julian

Associate Scientist

Bethan Davies Williams

Bethan Davies Williams

PhD Student

Federica Spaggiari

Federica Spaggiari

PhD Student

Griselda Awanis

Griselda Awanis

Postdoctoral Scientist

Jacob Sporn

Jacob Sporn

PhD Student

Jonathan Graham

Jonathan Graham

PhD Student

Karishma Satia

Karishma Satia

Senior Scientific Officer

Megan Mylrea

Megan Mylrea

Postdoctoral Scientist