Our scientists are looking at how our cells work, right down to the level of individual molecules.

These pioneering studies underpin all our research activities – by understanding exactly how our cells normally work, our scientists can identify what goes wrong in cancer.

Our scientists are world leaders in this field and have successfully pinpointed many molecules and genes involved in cancer. But many more remain to be found as cancer is a complex disease and there are over 200 types of cancer.

A fuller understanding of the molecular differences that exist between cancer cells and healthy cells will lead to new approaches for preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer in the future.

Highlights in this area:

• As part of an international collaboration, our scientists in Cambridge have discovered that inheriting a faulty CHEK2 gene nearly doubles a woman's risk of breast cancer. This will help doctors identify women at increased risk and could pave the way for new treatments.



• A discovery made by researchers in London could help doctors tailor treatments more effectively to men with prostate cancer. They found that the levels of a molecule called E2F3 are higher in more aggressive prostate cancers. In future, this may help doctors identify patients that need more immediate and intensive treatment.