Clinical Pharmacology Adaptive Therapy Group

Professor Banerji's group aims to study re-wiring of signal transduction to understand and overcome mechanisms of drug resistance and, in addition, to understand exploit cancer evolution using pharmacological tools.

We are focused on the re-wiring of signal transduction using established cell lines to control mechanisms of drug resistance and comprehend the evolution of cancer.  

Rewiring of signal transduction

This group is working on the set-up and validation of a highly sensitive antibody-based assay on the Nanostring platform which will allow quantification of 50 - 100 phosphoproteins/proteins. It plans to digest tumour tissue obtained during surgery or from biopsies and expose them to a matrix of 20 - 30 anticancer drugs before obtaining phosphoproteomic data.

It also aims to use organoids and patient-derived xenografts to take this forward. The proteomic data will be modelled with the Computational Biology and Chemogenomics Team led by Professor Bissan Al-Lazikani. The group also supports PhD students studying the re-wiring of signal transduction in colon cancer and the role of stroma in influencing signal transduction.

The group also currently works with Professor Andrea Sottoriva at the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at the ICR to look at barcoding of cancer cells and the study of evolutionary trajectories of clones under experimental conditions. It is also studying mechanisms of resistance, collateral drug sensitivity and resistance of these emergent clones.


The primary area of this group is focused on the re-wiring of signal transduction using established cell lines as well as fresh cancer cells derived and isolated from patients and then exposing them to novel anticancer drugs. Pre- and post-proteomic profiling provides insights into mechanisms of drug resistance and how to overcome this with combination therapies. The initial work was carried out using cancer cells isolated from ascites and pleural effusions; the group in now developing expertise in organoid and patient-derived xenograft tissue.

The group develops its own antibody-based proteomic platforms and collaborates with teams involved in mass spectroscopic methods, led by Jyoti Choudhary. The group generates significant amounts of data and collaborates with the ICR's Computational Biology and Chemogenomics Team led by Professor Bissan Al-Lazikani to develop and decipher the data.

The secondary focus of this lab is the study of the pharmacological effects on cancer evolution in experimental models and methods to quantify this and herd cancer cells to a vulnerable state.

Professor Banerji works with Professor Andrea Sottoriva in the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at the ICR and plans to translate these concepts in to the clinic.

Vacancies at the ICR

Working at the ICR

Prospect Research Manager

  • Chelsea
  • Development and Communications Directorate
  • £41,600 - £43,000
  • Permanent

About the Role Our Prospect Research team plays a central role in unlocking new funding opportunities across the ICR's philanthropic income streams. It is responsible for delivering high quality, insightful prospect briefings and fundraising intelligence, which supports the ICR's fundraisers in their efforts to build meaningful relationships with philanthropic high net-worth individuals, trusts, foundations and corporates who have the interest and capacity to support the ICR's vital research. The post holder will play a key role in supporting the Development & Communications directorate to source, assess and validate new funding opportunities, maximise income secured across our philanthropic income streams and fundraising campaign, and grow our incredible donor community. The successful candidate will have experience of devising and successfully implementing targeted prospecting strategies. You will play a lead role in identifying philanthropic HNWIs and corporates with the capacity and inclination to support our work. The post holder will also be responsible for carrying out due diligence research and alerting fundraisers to reputational risks identified in support of the ICR's gift acceptance policy. You will work closely with the Head of Prospect Development to support fundraisers in maximising the success of our senior volunteer network through network mapping and expanding its ranks. In addition, the post holder will manage the Prospect Research Executive, providing development and mentoring support. What We Offer A supportive and collaborative working environment. Opportunities for professional development and career progression. Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Caroline Porter via telephone on 020 7153 5486 or email at [email protected].

Higher Scientific Officer (bioinformatician)

  • Sutton
  • Systems and Precision Cancer Medicine
  • £39,805 - £49,023 per annum
  • Fixed term

Under the guidance of Prof Anguraj Sadanandam, we are seeking to recruit a Bioinformatician (Senior Scientific Officer) to contribute to implementing and performing relevant analyses, interpreting the results in context of fast-moving projects, and presenting the results to project teams as well as internal and external collaborators and contribute, with the expectation of authorship on resulting publications. There will also be opportunities to engage in bench-based experimental research, although this is not mandatory. The successful candidate will play a key role in analysing RNAseq data (bulk, single-cell, spatial), developing methodologies and supporting research activities. About you The successful candidate must have: Master’s degree in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, or related subject Proven experience of bioinformatics analyses and interpretation in one or more of the following key areas (NGS analysis of WES/WGS/RNAseq (bulk, single-cell) using standard practice pipelines; Clinical data analysis (Survival curves, correlation and subgroup analysis) Proven experience in the development of software pipelines to implement analysis workflow Proven experience in use of High Performance Computing platforms and unix-like operating systems Proven experience of writing and maintaining Python, R and Bash code using Git Department/Directorate Information The Division of Molecular Pathology conducts translational research linking molecular science to clinical oncology. The group of Dr Anguraj Sadanandam focuses on cancer metabolism and tumour subtypes, particularly in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). Using integrative multi-omics approaches — including scRNAseq, spatial transcriptomics, bulk RNAseq, metabolomics (LC-MS), CNV, and WES — combined with cell culture and genetically engineered mouse models, we aim to define tumour heterogeneity and identify new therapeutic opportunities. The successful candidate will work under multidisciplinary supervision: for clinical and biological questions, guidance will be provided by Dr Christophe Cisarovsky, Clinical Oncologist in the GI clinic at The Royal Marsden Hospital and MD-PhD, together with Group Leader Prof Anguraj Sadanandam; for technical and bioinformatics questions, supervision will be provided by Prof Anguraj Sadanandam and members of his bioinformatics team. The candidate will primarily perform bioinformatic analyses and contribute to fast-moving projects with the expectation of authorship on resulting publications. There will also be opportunities to engage in bench-based experimental research, although this is not mandatory. https://www.icr.ac.uk/research-and-discoveries/find-a-researcher/test-researcher-profile-detail/dr-anguraj-sadanandam What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Christophe Cisarovsky via Email on [email protected].

Industrial partnership opportunities with this group

Opportunity: A potent, orally bioavailable clinical-stage inhibitor of MPS1 with potential as a treatment for a range of cancer types including triple negative breast cancer

Commissioner: Swen Hoelder

Recent discoveries from this group