Ovarian/ Phase I

We have an active clinical trial programme of phase II and III studies for patients with ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers and phase I studies for patients with any advanced solid tumours. We participate in a variety of national and international, commercial and academic studies. We are the lead site for several of these clinical trials.

Professor Jayson, the lead investigator in this group, has a particular interest in biological research and has strong ties with the Paterson Institute and Cancer Research UK. We have a number of laboratory-based studies, which aim to discover and investigate new biomarkers in the blood which can be used in the future as an early detection of cancer, to help identify whether new treatments are having a beneficial effect and to see whether different drugs are beneficial to different patients. In addition, most of the treatment studies we are participating in have an additional biological or genetic research programme with the aim of discovering more about the causes of cancer and developing further targeted therapies in the future.

The other main focus of research within the team is the development of anti-angiogenic agents, which inhibit blood vessel formation, preventing tumours from being able to grow and survive. We also have a number of imaging studies running, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust. The various scanning techniques are being developed with an aim of discovering more about cancer growth and treatment, looking in particular at angiogenesis.

In addition clinical trials are in progress for targeted therapies that act specifically on cancer cells and cytotoxic chemotherapies used on their own and in combination with other treatments.