Andrew Pearson - Profile
Professor Andrew Pearson is leading a program at The Institute of Cancer Research that develops drugs to benefit children and young people. He works on all stages of the process to get the drugs to patients, from identifying potential research targets, drug discovery and initial clinical trials.
Professor Pearson’s particular interest is neuroblastoma, one of the most common childhood cancers. Sufferers often have a poor prognosis as the majority of neuroblastomas have already spread before the cancer is diagnosed, relapse is common and current treatments can create long-term health problems. Professor Pearson is working to improve treatments.
He qualified in medicine in 1977, trained as a paediatrician and oncologist and then spent a year at the University of Minnesota in the United States.
Professor Pearson joined the ICR in 2005 after 30 years at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. When he left the university he was Professor of Paediatric Oncology and Head of the Children's and Young People's Unit as well as Dean of Postgraduate studies. He came to the ICR because of its “unparalleled potential for developing new drugs for children with cancer, in order that their chance of long-term cure is improved”.
He presently holds the post of Chairman of the ICR’s Paediatric Oncology Section and is also head of the Children’s and Young People’s Unit with ICR’s partner hospital The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Pearson has been Chair of the United Kingdom Children’s Cancer Study Group, and was the first Chair of the group’s Neuroblastoma Committee. He founded and was twice Chair of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group and also founded and held co-Chair position at the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Taskforce. He has authored more than 270 peer-reviewed manuscripts.
Outside research, he greatly enjoys time with his family and walking.
