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:

Paediatric Solid Tumour Biology and Therapeutics Professor Louis Chesler (Profile pic)

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

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 6124

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 8722 4186

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 3501

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 8722 4361

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 6118

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 6021

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Phone: +44 20 3437 6196

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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OrcID: 0000-0003-3977-7020

Phone: +44 20 3437 6109

Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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.

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

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Email: [email protected]

Location: Sutton

Professor Louis Chesler's group have written 113 publications

Most recent new publication 4/2025

See all their publications

Vacancies in this group

Working in this group

Postdoctoral Training Fellow

  • Chelsea
  • Structural Biology
  • Salary Range: £45,600 - £55,000 per annum
  • Fixed term

Under the leadership of Claudio Alfieri, we are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Training Fellow to join the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation Group at the Chester Beatty Laboratories, Fulham Road in London. This project aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cell cycle regulation by macromolecular complexes involved in cell proliferation decisions, by combining genome engineering, proteomics and in situ structural biology. For general information on Post Doc's at The ICR can be found here. Key Requirements The successful candidate must have a PhD in cellular biochemistry and experience in Cryo-EM and CLEM is desirable. The ICR has a workforce agreement stating that Postdoctoral Training Fellows can only be employed for up to 7 years as PDTF at the ICR, providing total postdoctoral experience (including previous employment at this level elsewhere) does not exceed 7 years Department/Directorate Information: The candidate will work in the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation Group within the ICR Division of Structural Biology headed by Prof. Laurence Pearl and Prof. Sebastian Guettler. The division has state-of-the-art facilities for protein expression and biophysics/x-ray crystallography, in particular the Electron Microscopy Facility is equipped with a Glacios 200kV with Falcon 4i detector with Selectris energy filter and the ICR has access to Krios microscopes via eBIC and the LonCEM consortium. 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 Claudio Alfieri via Email on [email protected]

Higher Scientific Officer - Drug Discovery Biology, Centre for Protein Degradation

  • Sutton
  • Cancer Therapeutics
  • £39,805 - £49,023
  • Fixed term

We are seeking to recruit a Higher Scientific Officer within the Induced Proximity Therapeutics (IPT) Team in the ICR Centre for Protein Degradation to support our molecular glue and PROTAC drug discovery projects and expand induced proximity technology. The IPT team focuses on three main areas of research: Cancer target validation Screening, profiling and molecular mechanism of action of molecular glue and PROTAC degraders Novel E3 ligase biology and ligand discovery The successful candidate will work in a multidisciplinary team and play a key role in target validation, developing in vitro and cell-based assays, and pharmacological characterisation of novel molecular glue degraders and PROTACs, but may also contribute to other activities. About you The successful candidate: Will be a strong team player who is technically minded and passionate about science and cancer drug discovery Will hold a first degree, and preferably a PhD, in biological science or biochemistry Will have experience in cancer biology/target validation, genetic manipulation techniques, in vitro and cell-based assay development and pharmacological compound profiling Experience in targeted protein degradation will be a significant advantage. Department/Directorate Information This position will be based in the ICR's Centre for Protein Degradation, a part of the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery (CCDD) specialising in developing novel drug modalities that re-wire tumour cells' signalling by targeted degradation of key oncogenic drivers. Our experienced biologists work closely with medicinal chemists, biophysicists, computational scientists, oncology specialists and physicians on discovering new medicines - molecular glue degraders and PROTACs - using innovative screening platforms and characterising their mechanisms of action, as well as expanding the repertoire of novel degradable drug targets and E3 ligases (enzymes that mediate protein degradation). Our research provides a nucleus for the academics and pharmaceutical industry to explore therapeutic potential of targeted protein degradation from laboratory hypothesis-testing to early clinical trials, for the benefit of cancer patients. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment in one of the successful academic cancer drug discovery centres in the UK Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development Collaboration with leading drug discovery and oncology scientist Competitive salary and pension To learn more about this role, please download the attached job pack. For informal inquiries, please contact Dr Agnieszka Konopacka, Group Leader, Induced Proximity Therapeutics, Centre for Protein Degradation via email: [email protected].

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

Recent discoveries from this group

09/05/25

The Institute of Cancer Research, London, has welcomed the approval of a new combination of two drugs for ovarian cancer by the US regulatory body the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The approval comes following a long-running research collaboration between the pharmaceutical company Verastem Oncology, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), and our partner hospital the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, which also included the company Chugai Pharmaceuticals.

The ruling from the FDA means the combination of the two drugs – which have the generic names avutometinib and defactinib, now branded Avmapki and Favzynja – will be available for patients in the US with a specific type of low grade serous ovarian cancer.

Judgements from other regulatory bodies are due to follow in the coming months, including in Europe.

Clinical trials

The primary basis for the approval was data from the RAMP 201 trial, which was led by Professor Susana Banerjee, Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden and Group Leader in Women's Cancers at the ICR.

The RAMP 201 trial followed on from another clinical trial led by researchers at the ICR and the Royal Marsden called FRAME, which was the first to test the drug combination.

Researchers began FRAME after realising that the two drugs together could work against a notoriously hard-to-treat subset of cancers, driven by mutations to a protein called KRAS.

The approval is the first worldwide for any treatment for KRAS-mutated, recurrent low grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC).

The ICR and The Royal Marsden are a leading centre for early-stage clinical trials in oncology, trialling dozens of candidate drugs at any one time in collaboration with industry partners.

The joint Drug Development Unit, based in Sutton, south London, trials up to 50 novel drugs at any one time, in around 300 patients per year.

Professor Udai Banerji, Co-Director of Drug Development at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, who led the FRAME trial, said:

“We are delighted that the FDA has approved avutometinib in combination with defactinib for patients with KRAS-mutated, low-grade serous ovarian cancer. We’re proud that the approval arises from a long-running research collaboration between Verastem and the ICR and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

“When we try to develop new cancer drugs, we need to come up with innovative ways of both shrinking the tumour and managing side effects, so they are tolerable for patients. The Phase I FRAME trial showed that avutometinib could be given in an unconventional, innovative, twice-weekly schedule to deliver its potent anti-tumour effects while minimising side effects.

“The successful licensing of avutometinib and defectinib for this group of patients is the result of the unique collaborative working relationship between the ICR and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, which allows the two-way flow of research information between the laboratory and clinical trials – a prime example of the ‘bench to bedside and back again’ model.

“I am proud of the many firsts this registration brings including first registration of a FAK inhibitor drug, the first registration of a dual RAF-MEK clamp, a type of drug that blocks both RAF and MEK proteins and the first registration of a targeted therapy for low grade serous ovarian cancer.”

Professor Susana Banerjee, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Research Lead for the Gynaecology Unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Professor in Women’s Cancers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London said: 

"To see our early research in both the FRAME and RAMP 201 trial in recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer advance the combination of avutometinib and defactinib to now be the first-ever FDA-approved therapy for this disease is what gives us real hope when treating patients with rare or difficult-to-treat gynecological cancers.

"With this approval, we thank all of the patients and researchers who participated in this trial, and the low-grade serous ovarian cancer community for their contributions to help bring the first FDA-approved treatment for KRAS-mutated recurrent LGSOC.

“We now need to build on this milestone to bring this new treatment to patients around the world.

“The Ramp 301 study is ongoing and will investigate this combination further in patients with and without genetic mutations. We look forward to seeing the results of this study.”