My Role: Saroor Patel on Life as a Senior Staff Scientist in CASM 

Whether you’re curious about life in a research-focused role or the evolving landscape of cancer genomics, Senior Staff Scientist Saroor Patel shares valuable insights into her journey and scientific work at the Sanger Institute.

Saroor Patel is a Senior Staff Scientist in the Garnett Group within the Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation (CASM) programme. In this interview, she shares her academic path, current research, and how her team is uncovering new therapeutic opportunities in cancer genomics.

Can you share a bit about your professional journey leading up to your current role as Senior Staff Scientist? 

I’m originally from Mauritius and came to the UK for my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry. My passion for science and research grew from there, so I decided to stay on for a Research Master’s and PhD at Imperial College London, before moving to Cambridge in 2015 for a postdoc at the University of Cambridge MRC Cancer Unit (now the Early Cancer Institute).

My postdoctoral work focused on using CRISPR-based technologies to uncover molecular mechanisms underlying transcription factor dependencies in renal cell carcinoma. In 2021, I came across a job advert for a Senior Staff Scientist position in the Garnett Group, investigating molecular dependencies in cancer cells. It seemed like a perfect fit and the rest is history!

What does your role within the Garnett Group involve, and what does the team focus on? 

The team focuses on two main research streams that explore how genetic alterations in cancer contribute to disease and influence therapeutic response. The first involves identifying cancer-specific dependencies and uncovering novel therapeutic targets using drug and CRISPR-based technologies. The second investigates how tumour heterogeneity and plasticity affect how cancers respond to treatments.

In my role, I lead several lab projects using combinatorial CRISPR gene perturbations. This helps us understand gene interactions and identify promising candidates for combination therapy.

What initially drew you to cancer genomics, and specifically to the work you’re doing at the Sanger Institute? 

Cancer is such a complex and prevalent disease. Cancer cells have an incredible ability to adapt and change and different cancer types behave differently depending on their genetic and non-genetic features. I’ve always been drawn to complex problems, and I enjoy the challenge of digging deeper to understand them and explore potential solutions.

At Sanger, we’re uniquely placed to investigate these questions at scale, which gives us a better chance of understanding how context shapes cancer vulnerabilities.

How do you see the future of cancer genomics evolving, and where do you hope your research fits in? 

As sequencing technologies improve and costs continue to fall, we’ll see more cancer genomes being sequenced. I think cancer genomics will increasingly be used to guide clinical decisions in a more patient-specific way. Our research, particularly into how genetic context influences therapeutic response, will help lay the groundwork for more personalised treatment strategies.

Are there any emerging technologies you’re particularly excited about? 

Yes, our lab is increasingly using single-cell multi-omic technologies to explore how perturbations affect different cell populations within cancer models. At the moment, due to the scale of our combinatorial perturbation experiments, it’s not yet possible to apply single-cell multi-omics in this context. But as the technology develops, I’m looking forward to integrating it into our research to better understand genetic interactions across various cancer cell environments.

How does your research contribute to improving outcomes for people with cancer? 

Our group is focused on translational cancer research, so improving patient outcomes is central to our mission. While monotherapies, single-drug targeted treatments, have shown some success, resistance often develops. Combination therapies allow us to tackle cancer cells on multiple fronts, improving response and reducing resistance. My work focuses on identifying the most effective gene targets for such combination therapies, helping move us closer to this goal.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? 

Outside of work, I’m a parent to two young boys a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old, so most of my time is spent with them. I love watching them grow and develop. We enjoy cooking and baking together, and this year we’ve started growing fruit and herbs in our garden. I also love travelling and taking them on trips to discover new places and cultures.