Cancer Genome Project
Cancer Genetics & Genomics
Cancer is caused by the genetic changes acquired by our cells as we go through life. We use cutting-edge DNA sequencing methods to identify these genetic changes, known as mutations, from human cancer samples. Our aim is to discover the genes that are frequently mutated in tumours, since these provide important insights into the biology of cancer. We also study the patterns of mutations we see in cancer cells. These patterns represent a record of the cancer’s life history, and can illustrate the damaging factors the genome has been exposed to as the cancer has evolved from a normal cell.
Our people
Group leads
Professor Sir Mike Stratton, FMedSci FRS
Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Chief Executive Officer of the Wellcome Genome Campus
Mike Stratton is the Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Chief Executive Officer of the Wellcome Genome Campus. His primary research interests have been in the genetics of cancer. His early research focused on inherited susceptibility. Mike mapped and identified the major high-risk breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 and subsequently a series of moderate-risk breast cancer and other cancer susceptibility genes.
Dr Peter Campbell
Head of Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation, and Senior Group Leader
Peter Campbell's research programme focuses on the genetic changes our cells acquire as we go through life, and how these mutations are related to ageing, cancer and other disease processes.
Core team
Elizabeth Anderson
Scientific Manager
Dr Kathryn Beal
Senior Software Developer
Mr Shriram G Bhosle
Principal Software Developer
Dr Aikaterini Chatzipli
Postdoctoral Fellow
Calli Latimer
Project Coordinator
Emily Mitchell
PhD Student
Laura O'Neill
Scientific Manager
Rebecca Shepherd
Senior Bioinformatician
Previous team members
Dr Nicos Angelopoulos
Senior Staff Scientist
Graham Bignell
Senior Staff Scientist
Dr Simon Forbes
Head of COSMIC
Dr Anthony Fullam
Postdoctoral Fellow
Stephen J Gamble
Research Assistant
Dominik Glodzik
Postdoctoral Fellow
Angela Macharia
Project Manager
Dr Ultan McDermott
Honorary Faculty and Former Group Leader
Mr Stuart McLaren
Project Manager
Dr Tibor Nagy
Senior Bioinformatician
Stanley Ng
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr Serena Nik-Zainal
CRUK Advanced Clinician Scientist and Former Wellcome Sanger Institute Group Leader
Nikita Patel
Research Assistant
Mia Petljak
Former Postdoctoral Fellow at the Sanger Institute
Nicola D Roberts
Former PhD Student at the Sanger Institute
Lucy A Stebbings
Principal Bioinformatician
Related groups
Partners
We work with the following groups