This Centre - led by Professor Nick Lemoine and rated 5* in the 2001 RAE - is focused on the development of innovative therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to cancer. It is an internationally recognised centre of expertise in gene therapy for cancer, with an active programme of clinical trials.  

The Centre provides:

• A state of the art Molecular Imaging Facility that encompasses microPET, SPECT/CT, bioluminescence and fluorescence
• A state of the art Molecular Pathology Facility that encompasses genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, flow cytometry and molecular imaging
• Laser-assisted microdissection (PALM technology) and tissue microarray preparation, scanning and analysis (Genetix Systems Applied Imaging Ariol® system) as well as reagent development for clinical applications
• Automated processing and hybridisation technology for target gene analysis in tissues and cells with the Ventana Discovery platform
• Confocal and digital microscopy suites with research histopathology expertise
• Proteomics including SELDI technology

Research groups

Linked to the clinic through a clinical fellowship programme and honorary consultants, the research is carried out within five laboratory groups:

• Molecular Pathology Group
  Prof Nick Lemoine, Dr Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic, Dr Claude Chelala, Dr Rebecca Roylance and Prof Ian Tomlinson,
  Aims to identify molecular biomarkers of disease progression and treatment response
• Gene Therapy Group
  Prof Nick Lemoine, Professor Iain McNeish, Dr Gunnel Hallden, Dr Yaohe Wang
  Aims to develop gene-targeted intervention strategies to treat cancer using oncolytic viruses and genetic triggers of apoptosis
• Molecular Imaging Group
  Prof Steve Mather, Dr Norbert Avril
  Aims to develop imaging strategies for the detection & treatment of cancer using a range of radiotracers including novel peptides and signal-domain human engineered antibodies [more]
• Genito-Urinary Cancer Unit
  Dr Yong-Jie Lu, Dr David Prowse and Dr Dan Berney
  The Genito-Urinary Cancer Unit focuses on research into the therapy of testis, bladder, renal, penile and prostate cancer. Dr Lu’s team develops translational research using molecular cytogenetics and genomics to identify targets for diagnosis and therapies of urological cancer. Dr Prowse’s team is working on epidemiology and carcinogenesis of the human papilloma virus (HPV) in prostate cancer. Dr Dan Berney is responsible for developing a genitourinary tumour tissue bank and is undertaking research on the pathology of testis, renal and prostate cancer.

Cancer Research UK London Research Institute at Lincoln's Inn Fields

Key relationships have been established with the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute at Lincoln's Inn Fields to foster translational research, and the following members of staff have honorary appointments with the Institute of Cancer:

• Julian Downward, Professor of Cancer Cell Biology
• Caetano Reis e Sousa, Professor of Cancer Immunology