As our Head of Cancer Biology, Professor Jon Pines leads the fundamental biology research at the top-ranked higher education institute for Biological Sciences in the UK. At the ICR, world-class scientists work in a culture that encourages commercial collaborations and which has led to the ICR regularly ranking close to the top worldwide in rankings that measure effective collaboration with industry.

Professor Pines’ research focuses on understanding how cells divide, using cutting-edge microscopy techniques to figure out how the molecular machinery that controls this process is regulated in time and space. His pioneering discoveries to understand cell division and how it can go wrong in cancer led to his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016.

Professor Pines’ team hopes to uncover new molecular targets for the design of drugs to treat cancer. His team use state-of-the-art imaging technologies to study the inner workings of cells in unprecedented detail – down to the level of molecules within single cells. They collaborate with companies to develop new equipment and novel techniques that can help them to push the boundaries further than ever before.

Current collaborations include working with Intelligent Imaging Innovations to develop pioneering technology in lattice-sheet microscopy.