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Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging

The Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging is investigating new imaging methods to diagnose cancer, and ways in which advances in technology and molecular biology can improve radiation treatment. It is also increasingly concerned with the use of imaging to evaluate the response to treatment in vivo, through techniques measuring aspects of tumour biology.

Current vacancies

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The division includes the prestigious Cancer Research UK Cancer Imaging Centre, and overlaps with the Joint Department of Physics, which spans The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Researchers in the division are developing methods to more accurately image tumours, making improvements to treatment planning, and implementing and assessing techniques to precisely target beams of radiation. Projects are using 3D imaging and robotics, and include quality assurance to ensure the safety of new techniques in a clinical setting.

The division has long-standing clinical imaging research programmes in computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), together with major projects in ultrasound, nuclear medicine, X-ray detectors and imaging applied to radiotherapy and focused ultrasound therapy.

Increasing the effectiveness of radiotherapy

The ICR’s leading role in the development of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) has helped to change the way that radiotherapy is provided in the UK and worldwide.

Researchers in the division are also interested in developing ways of increasing the effectiveness of radiotherapy by combining it with other treatments – including targeted drugs or viral therapies.

A major research focus is the development of multimodality imaging for evaluating response to treatment in vivo. Novel imaging techniques can provide non-invasive assessments of various facets of tumour biology such as tumour angiogenesis, cell proliferation and hypoxia.

The joint appointments of faculty in this division and the divisions of Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapeutics or Clinical Studies ensure scientific and technical developments are rapidly taken through to testing in the clinic.

Head of Division

Professor Kevin Harrington

Professor Kevin Harrington

Head of Division

Professor Kevin Harrington is Head of the Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging and studies the use of biologically targeted agents, in combination with treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to target cancer cells selectively. He is a specialist in head and neck cancer and in melanoma, and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Radiologists.

ORCID 0000-0002-6014-348X

Deputy Head of Division

Professor Uwe Oelfke

Professor Uwe Oelfke

Professor Uwe Oelfke is combining recent developments in cancer biology, cancer therapeutics and medical physics in order to improve radiotherapy treatment and planning. He has had a varied career spanning theoretical nuclear physics and finally medical physics.


+44 20 8915 6221 ORCID 0000-0003-2309-0814

Research groups

Breast Cancer Radiotherapy

Group leader: Dr Anna Kirby

The Breast Cancer Radiotherapy Group aims to develop and test new radiotherapy techniques that treat women with breast cancer patients with greater accuracy while minimising side-effects.

Clinical Academic Radiotherapy (Huddart)

Group leader: Professor Robert Huddart

Dr Robert Huddart’s group investigates the role of targeted radiotherapy in urological cancers such as muscle invasive bladder cancer and testicular cancer.

Functional Imaging

Group leader: Professor Christina Messiou

Professor Christina Messiou's group are advancing innovative imaging techniques for patient benefit.

Gastrointestinal Clinical Oncology

Group leader: Dr Diana Tait

Dr Diana Tait’s group delivers and assesses advanced radiotherapy techniques for gastrointestinal cancers.

Imaging for Radiotherapy Adaptation

Group leader: Dr Emma Harris

Dr Emma Harris’ Imaging for Radiotherapy Adaptation Group is investigating ways to make radiotherapy more patient-specific.

Magnetic Resonance

Group leader: Professor Kevin Harrington

Dr Kevin Harrington heads up the Magnetic Resonance Group, which develops and tests new probes, instrumentation and techniques to better plan and assess cancer treatment. Professor deSouza was jointly head of the group until her retirement in October 2020.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Radiotherapy

Group leader: Dr Andreas Wetscherek

Dr Andreas Wetscherek's group are developing new MRI techniques for radiotherapy with particular application to the UK's first MR-Linac machine.

Multimodality Molecular Imaging

Group leader: Dr Dimitra Darambara

Dr Dimitra Darambara is developing and implementing novel molecular imaging technologies and techniques for the detection and characterisation of cancer and its response to treatment. Dr Darambara is a detector physicist who started her career at CERN building a calorimeter for quark-gluon plasma and finally moved to medical physics to translate basic science to routine clinical practice.

Oncogenetics

Group leader: Professor Rosalind Eeles

Professor Rosalind Eeles’ Oncogenetics Group aims to translate laboratory findings about genetic risk factors for cancer, particularly prostate cancer, into the clinic.

Preclinical Molecular Imaging

Group leader: Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek

Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek’s Preclinical Molecular Imaging Group uses cutting-edge biomedical imaging techniques to gain information about the way particular genes drive cancer progression.

Pre-Clinical MRI

Group leader: Professor Simon Robinson

Professor Simon Robinson’s group focusses on the pre-clinical development and application of non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods that can be used in the clinic for cancer detection, diagnosis, and monitoring treatment response.

Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research

Group leader: Professor Nick James

Professor James is the Group Leader of Prostate and Bladder Cancer Research Group in the Radiotherapy and Imaging Division.

Quantitative Biomedical Imaging

Group leader: Professor James O'Connor

Professor James O'Connor's group identify, validate and translate new imaging biomarkers to test new therapies and to improve the management of patients with cancer.

Radiation-enhanced Immunotherapy

Group leader: Dr Erik Wennerberg

Dr Erik Wennerberg’s group focuses on studying mechanisms of tumor immune resistance and how focal radiotherapy can be used to promote systemic immune responses against advanced cancers.

Radioisotope Physics

Group leader: Professor Glenn Flux

Dr Glenn Flux and his group are developing methods to obtain quantitative information from nuclear medicine imaging and applying these to improve treatments with radiotherapeutics.

Radiotherapy Physics Modelling

Group leader: Professor Uwe Oelfke

Professor Uwe Oelfke’s Radiotherapy Physics Modelling Group is researching ways of using modern hardware to improve the delivery of targeted radiotherapy.

Sarcoma and Melanoma Surgery

Group leader: Professor Andrew Hayes

Professor Andrew Hayes's group consists of surgical oncologists who undertake clinical and translational research relating to surgery for these rare tumours. They have particular research interests in regional chemotherapy administered by isolated limb perfusion, retroperitoneal sarcoma surgery and robotic surgery for intra-abdominal sarcoma/melanoma.

Stereotactic and Precision Radiotherapy

Group leader: Professor Nicholas van As

The Stereotactic and Precision Radiotherapy Group is developing techniques and trials aimed at improving outcomes for cancer patients and reducing treatment-related toxicities, in both radical and palliative radiotherapy.

Targeted Therapy

Group leader: Professor Kevin Harrington

Professor Harrington’s Targeted Therapy Group aims to develop new cancer therapies that selectively target cancer cells. This is accomplished by assessing combinations of viral, drug and immune therapies with radiation as a means of boosting both direct cytotoxic and indirect immune-related effects against cancers.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

Group leader: Professor Gail Ter Haar

Professor Gail ter Haar’s Therapeutic Ultrasound group is undertaking research designed to improve our understanding of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for the treatment of cancers of the liver and kidney.

Translational Breast Radiobiology

Group leader: Dr Navita Somaiah

Dr Navita Somaiah's group are investigating the optimisation of radiotherapy by improving tumour response to improve personalised treatments.

Translational Immunotherapy

Group leader: Professor Alan Melcher

Professor Alan Melcher's group is looking at ways to activate the immune system to attack cancer using therapeutic viruses. These agents are already approved for clinical use and offer major potential benefits to further improve the promising field of immunotherapy.

Translational Sarcoma, Melanoma and Rare Tumour Surgery

Group leader: Myles Smith

Mr Myles Smith's group aims to translate basic science innovations generated at the ICR to advance the surgical treatment of cancer – for example, evaluating molecular markers to aid the definition of cancer at the time of surgery.

Translational Therapeutic Radiography

Group leader: Professor Helen McNair

Translational therapeutic radiography investigates aspects of technology and patient care in radiotherapy.

Ultrasound and Optical Imaging

Group leader: Professor Jeff Bamber

Dr Jeffrey Bamber’s Ultrasound and Optical Imaging Group develops new ways of using ultrasound imaging to detect various cancers, including breast, prostate and skin cancer.

Uro-oncology Clinical Trials

Group leader: Dr Alison Tree

Dr Alison Tree’s group develops new precise radiotherapy techniques using simulations and real patient data, as well as with innovative clinical trials.