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.
Deputy Team Lead
in vivo Team Manager
Scientific Officer
PhD Student
Scientific Officer
Scientific Assistant
Senior Scientific Officer
Higher Scientific Officer
Scientific Assistant
Associate Scientist
PhD Student
PhD Student
Postdoctoral Scientist
PhD Student
PhD Student
Senior Scientific Officer
Postdoctoral Scientist