Manchester Breast Centre
- Manchester Breast Centre
- Research Groups
- Associated Groups
Manchester Firsts
Targeted therapies in breast cancer: stil-boestrol and phenylethylene (early tamoxifen like inhibitor) - Edith Paterson (1944)
First randomised trial in cancer: adjuvant ovarian irradiation - Ralston Paterson (1948)
First clinical use of tamoxifen - Moya Cole and Ian Todd (1969)
First pre-surgical use of tamoxifen - Andrew Baildam and Tony Howell (1987)
Control of mammary differentiation by extra cellular matrix - Charles Streuli (1991)
First randomised trial in cancer: adjuvant ovarian irradiation - Ralston Paterson (1948)
ER+ cells rarely divide in mammary epithelium - Rob Clarke (1997)
Xeno-transplantation model of human DCIS - Nigel Bundred (1999)
Research Groups
Keith Brennan is working on Notch and Wnt signalling, both of which are required for cell-cell communication in the breast. Keith has shown that Notch signalling is dysregulated in breast cancer and that it is required to maintain the transformed phenotype of breast cancer cell lines by regulating apoptosis.
Nigel Bundred runs trials in DCIS and preoperative/neoadjuvant therapy and adjuvant therapy in invasive disease. He collaborates closely with the Clarke Lab in running models to predict responsiveness of DCIS and normal human breast tissue in immune deprived mice and culture models notably mammosphere culture to develop inhibitors of potential stem cell signalling pathways.
Rob Clarke is dissecting human breast stem cell biology, using primary epithelium from both normal and malignant tissues. Rob’s interest is largely the signalling pathways that differentially regulate stem cell self-renewal in normal versus cancer stem cells. An additional research area is the discovery of novel markers that can be used to isolate and purify these stem cell populations.
Gareth Evans is particularly interested in biomarkers of risk of developing breast cancer and works with Howell in the Family History and Prevention Clinics. Over 8,000 women have been followed. We have over 666 BRCA1/2 families and 1,188 mutation carriers. New approaches to risk prediction include assessing SNPs in BRCA1/2 families and through the PROCAS study in the general population combined with information on breast density.
Gillian Farnie her main focus of research is to investigate treatment resistance in Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) in both invasive and pre-invasive breast cancer. 
Michelle Harvie We were one of the first groups to demonstrate that weight loss can reduce risk of breast cancer. This collaborative epidemiological study with the Iowa Women’s health study cohort (33,000 women) suggested risk reduction of 25-40%.
Tony Howell is interested with Evans in pharmacological and lifestyle measurements to prevent breast cancer. In addition, with Clarke and two new senior scientists posts he is testing the hypothesis that random stem cells are responsible for breast cancer resistance to endo and chemotherapies.
Göran Landberg His laboratory is in the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research and does his clinical work at University Hospital of South Manchester (UHSM). A general aim is to provide an integrated approach for breast cancer research by combining the analysis of clinical observations in vivo with cell and molecular techniques in the laboratory, through establishing a molecular pathology platform.
Katrina Lavelle is currently investigating the role of patient choice in surgical decision making for older women with operable breast cancer. Using the Control Preferences Scale, she is measuring responsibility for treatment choice from the perspectives of both patients and their surgeons.
Michael Lisanti Our research is focused on the role of Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) in the pathogenesis of human breast cancer, with a strong emphasis its role in signalling, cancer, and stem cell biology.
Paul Lu has recently joined the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Unit. He was also jointly appointed by the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. Based in the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, his group focus on understanding the cellular and molecular basis of stromal role in normal development and cancer of the breast.
William Newman trained in Medicine in Manchester. He went on to postgraduate study in General Medicine before specializing in Clinical Genetics. He undertook a PhD in molecular medicine followed by a period of post-doctoral research in Toronto with Prof Kathy Siminovitch before taking up his Senior Lecturer post at the University of Manchester in 2004. He joined the MBC in 2010.
Akira Orimo The major aim of the laboratory is to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which tumour microenvironment promotes carcinoma cell invasion and metastasis, focusing on myofibroblasts frequently present within the stroma of human invasive breast carcinomas
Charles Streuli is elucidating the involvement of integrins and integrin-signalling proteins in normal mammary gland biology and early breast cancer. Charles is also studying apoptosis-resistance mechanisms in breast cancer and is exploring the role of Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins.
Andrew Wardley is a member of the NCRI Breast Group and is PI and member of steering committees of a large number of phase I-III trials in early and late breast cancer.
Michelle Webb is determining the functional outcome of BRCA1 missense variants. This will help determine their pathogenicity.