Paediatric Solid Tumour Biology and Therapeutics Group
Professor Louis Chesler’s group is investigating the genetic causes for the childhood cancers, neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.
Research, projects and publications in this group
Our group's aim is to improve the treatment and survival of children with neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.
The goal of our laboratory is to improve the treatment and survival of children with neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, three paediatric solid tumours in which high-risk patient cohorts can be defined by alterations in a single oncogene. We focus on the role of the MYCN oncogene, since aberrant expression of MYCNis very significantly associated with high-risk in all three diseases and implies that they may have a common cell-of-origin.
Elucidating the molecular signalling pathways that control expression of the MYCN oncoprotein and targeting these pathways with novel therapeutics is a major goal of the laboratory. We use a variety of innovative preclinical drug development platforms for this purpose.
Technologically, we focus on genetically engineered cancer models incorporating novel imaging (optical and fluorescent) modalities that can be used as markers to monitor disease progression and therapeutic response.
Our group has several key objectives:
- Mechanistically dissect the role of the MYCN oncogene, and other key oncogenic driver genes in poor-outcome paediatric solid tumours (neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma).
- Develop novel therapeutics targeting MYCN oncoproteins and other key oncogenic drivers
- Develop improved genetic cancer models dually useful for studies of oncogenesis and preclinical development of novel therapeutics.
- Use such models to develop and functionally validate optical imaging modalities useful as surrogate markers of tumour progression in paediatric cancer.
Professor Louis Chesler
Clinical Senior Lecturer/Group Leader:
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Professor Louis Chesler is working to understand the biology of children’s cancers and use that information to discover and develop new personalised approaches to cancer treatment. His work focuses on improving the understanding of the role of the MYCN oncogene.
Researchers in this group

I obtained an MSci in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow in 2018. In October 2018 I joined the labs of Dr Michael Hubank and Professor Andrea Sottoriva to investigate the use of liquid biopsy to monitor clonal frequency and emergence of resistance mutations in paediatric cancers.
Professor Louis Chesler's group have written 113 publications
Most recent new publication 4/2025
See all their publicationsVacancies in this group
Working in this group
Higher Scientific Officer (bioinformatician)
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].
Cyber-Security Engineer
We are seeking a highly motivated Cyber-Security Engineer to safeguard our critical data and infrastructure from cyber threats by implementing and maintaining robust security solutions. Key Responsibilities: - Security Assessments & Vulnerability Management: Identifying weaknesses in systems and networks through vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. - Implementing Security Solutions: Putting in place firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and other tools to actively block and monitor for threats. - Patch Management: Ensuring all systems are up-to-date with the latest security patches to fix known vulnerabilities. - Security Monitoring & Incident Response: Keeping watch for suspicious activity and responding to security incidents effectively. This involves analysing logs, investigating alerts, and containing breaches. - Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Helping develop plans to restore systems and get the business back up and running quickly in case of a cyber attack or other disaster. - Staying Up-to-Date on Threats: Keeping current with the latest cyber security threats and trends to ensure the company's defences are always effective. - Security Policy Development & Enforcement: Creating and enforcing security policies to ensure everyone in the organization is following best practices. - Security Automation: Using automation tools to streamline security tasks and improve efficiency. Why Join Us? - Be a crucial part of a dedicated team committed to excellence. - Enjoy a collaborative and supportive work environment. - Make a real impact by helping users overcome technical challenges. If you have a knack for solving problems and a desire to help others, apply today to become our next Cyber-Security Engineer. Department/Directorate Information The Digital Services Directorate ensures that everyone at the ICR has access to the technology they need to do their jobs effectively including providing specialist IT support to the ICR's research community. 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 Ian Andrews via Email at [email protected]

Employee Story
Postdoctoral Training Fellow (scientific role) Dr Giulio Caravagna is a Postdoctoral Training Fellow at The Institute of Cancer Research, working in Professor Andrea Sottoriva's Evolutionary Genomics and Modelling team, and jointly supervised by Professor Louis Chesler, Professor of Paediatric Solid Tumour Therapeutics.
Industrial partnership opportunities with this group
Opportunity: A novel test for predicting future cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Commissioner: Professor Trevor Graham