Professor Stan Kaye

The Drug Development Unit provides a key link between The Institute of Cancer Research’s Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Tumour Teams.  The Unit’s primary responsibility is for first-in-man Phase I trials of novel agents. These involve a range of targets, including growth factor or intracellular signalling, angiogenesis, apoptosis, epigenetics and DNA repair.  All trials are underpinned by extensive analysis of biomarkers, both predictive and pharmacodynamic.

There are strong links to other ICR Teams, notably the Prostate Cancer Team (Head: Professor Johann de Bono).

Professor Stan Kaye is currently Head of the Drug Development Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. He is also the Head of the Division of Clinical Studies.

Professor Kaye is head of one of the world’s largest Phase I Unit, which is taking part in approximately 30 current new drug trials. Over 300 patients per year now enter Phase I trials in the Unit

Professor Kaye joined the Institute of Cancer Research in September 2000 after 20 years in Glasgow, 15 of which were spent as Head of Medical Oncology at Glasgow University.

He qualified in medicine in 1972 in London and completed training in medicine and oncology in London and Australia. His major specialities include drug development, drug resistance and ovarian cancer.

The author of more than 350 peer reviewed papers, he sits on the Editorial Board of 12 cancer journals and has held various national and international responsibilities.

Professor Kaye came to the ICR because “it is one of the best places in the world to do clinical new drug development”. He has a busy clinical practice at The Royal Marsden, with responsibility for the core of patients with gynaecological cancer as well as those in the Drug Development Unit.  He says his field of cancer research is “rewarding and exciting”, but wishes he had more time to see the world. In the small amount of spare time he has, Professor Kaye enjoys walking and squash.