UCL Cancer Institute Seminar Series

The Molecular Oncology Group at the CRUK Manchester Institute, has made important contributions to our understanding of the fundamental processes underlying melanoma development and progression.  Our studies have had significant impact on melanoma patient care. We have developed tractable models of melanoma that have allowed us to study gene-gene and gene-environment interactions.  We have established links to clinical colleagues at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and have developed a translational programme that aims to inform patient stratification and the clinical management of melanoma and other cancers. Underpinning all of our studies are the models of disease we have developed and refined over the past ten years, including genetically engineered mouse models (GEMM) and patient-derived models (cell lines, PDX, CDX) models.  We have extensive expertise in next generation sequencing (NGS) approaches and functional analysis of cancer biology. We use our GEMMs to dissect the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on melanoma development and progression, and to study responses to immunotherapies to guide optimisation of these drugs in the clinic. Using patient-derived models, we are identifying new therapeutic targets for melanoma and other cancers, and investigating mechanisms of resistance, allowing us to develop precision medicine approaches for melanoma and other cancers, and to develop new anti-cancer drugs. Our philosophy is that patient care should be based on improved knowledge of cancer biology.  Our overarching aim is to understand the processes of cancer to develop better approaches to prevention, to develop new drugs, and to improve the clinical management of cancer patients.

Hosted by: Professor Henning Walczak

The seminar will be followed by a sandwich buffet lunch

Selected publications

1. Girotti MR*, Gremel G*, Lee R, Galvani E, Rothwell D, Viros A, Mandal AK, Lim KHJ, Saturno G, Furney SJ, Baenke F, Pedersen M, Rogan J, Swan J, Smith M, Fusi A, Oudit D, Dhomen N, Brady G, Lorigan P, Dive C, Marais R (2016) *Equal contribution. Application of sequencing, liquid biopsies and patient-derived xenografts for personalized medicine in melanoma. Cancer Discovery, 6(3):286-99.

2. Viros A*, Sanchez-Laorden B*, Pedersen M*, Furney SJ*, Rae J, Hogan K, Ejiama S, Girotti MR, Cook M, Dhomen N and Marais R (2014) *Equal contribution. Ultraviolet radiation accelerates BRAF-driven melanomagenesis by targeting TP53. Nature, 511: 478-482.

3. Heidorn SJ, Milagre C, Whittaker S, Nourry A, Niculescu-Duvas I, Dhomen N, Hussain J, Reis-Filho JS, Springer CJ, Pritchard C and Marais R (2010). Kinase-dead BRAF and oncogenic RAS cooperate to drive tumor progression through CRAF. Cell, 140: 209-221.

For more information view, http://www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk/Research/CRUK-MI-Groups/Molecular-Oncology/Home

This seminar has been sponsored in part by Taconic Bioscience, the Biomedical Research Centre and Cancer Research UK

Location 

UCL Cancer Institute
Courtyard Café
Paul O'Gorman Building
72 Huntley Street
London
WC1E 4DD