Welcome to the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics
Despite major advances in cancer treatment over the last 30 years, many cancers remain effectively untreatable due to difficulty in diagnosing them and their ability to resist drugs and radiation. It has become clear that an integrated approach is needed for the discovery of new cancer drugs and diagnostic tests, and it was primarily in response to this need that the ICT grew, to incorporate key research activities that could share expertise and work together to provide a pathway for the development of novel cancer therapeutics. I am extremely passionate about the work of the ICT. We are proud to be one of only a few centres nationally with all the facilities and research expertise to take anticancer medicines and biomarkers from concept to clinic.
Browse our Website or download our Research and Services Brochure to find out more about our research activity.
We look forward to working with you in the future.
Professor Richard Morgan, Professor of Molecular Oncology and Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics
Prof Richard Morgan
Research and Services Brochure
Download Research and Services Brochure
(, 6.8 MB)
Thank you for your interest in the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT), and for the opportunity to share some of our key research projects, which provide a range of exciting investment and/or partnership opportunities. We also offer state of the art laboratories, including Ethical Tissue, a licenced tissue bank and the technical expertise to facilitate your research.
From concept to clinic
The Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT) is a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Bradford working together to research, develop and commercialise new cancer treatments. The team work in the fields of synthetic and medicinal chemistry, pre-clinical pharmacology (including in vivo biology), molecular biology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), drug formulation and proteomics.
We are one of only a few centres in the UK with the research tools and expertise in-house to progress anticancer medicines and biomarkers from concept to clinic.
Excellent research facilities
The ICT is a purpose-built facility for cancer drug design, synthesis, pre-clinical pharmacology and Phase I trial PKPD laboratory support. The four floors of the purpose built cancer research building within the science quarter of the University provide 2600sqm for chemistry, cancer pharmacology and translational research in addition to commercial activity. All aspects of in vitro and in vivo research studies are catered for including cell and tissue culture, molecular and cell biology, pathology, imaging using an IVIS bioluminescence detector and confocal microscopy and cytometric analysis using FACS. In addition, several HPLCs, a single and two triple quadrupole mass spectrometers are housed within the DMPK facility to enable drug analysis for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic elucidation.
The Institute has extensive laboratories and equipment for cancer drug design and development, including dedicated Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) facilities, and modern medicinal chemistry facilities. One floor is dedicated to molecular modelling and medicinal chemistry within a 20 fume hood facility with state of the art organic synthesis equipment. In addition, the University Analytical Centre is directly accessible from the Institute and holds the key capital equipment to support discovery and pre-clinical programmes.
Within the Bioincubator suites housed on the top floor is Ethical Tissue, the university’s flagship licensed research tissue bank. This facility allows access to human matched cancer/normal human tissue as well as other human tissues and fluids.
The Institute provides collaborative research support to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
An outstanding record in research
We have an exceptional track record of research, with 92% of the Institute’s research outputs and 100% of our impact and environment studies being placed in the 4* and 3* categories in the REF2014 exercise. We are working hard to build on this for the next REF exercise.
The Institute plans to expand its research taking in more researchers that will grow and contribute to the aims of the team. In collaboration with our commercial partners we aim to progress our own development drugs to phase 1 clinical trials and also to help industrial sponsors by sharing our research expertise and facilities. ICT offers state of the art laboratories and the technical expertise to facilitate our own research and industry research through translational and contract research partnerships.
MSc courses and PhD projects
Our taught and research-based postgraduate programmes benefit from an excellent research environment within an institute that is large enough to provide world leading expertise across a broad range of relevant subject areas together with a vibrant and supportive student community.
Our taught programmes focus on the most current and commercially relevant areas, helping to ensure our MSc graduates have the best possible start to their career, or achieve an important milestone in their existing one. In addition, the ICT provides a broader education relevant to all cancer researchers through activities that include a seminar series and subject-specific symposia, in which students are encouraged to have an active part. We also have links with numerous pharmaceutical and biotech companies, helping to ensure our MSc and PhD graduates are well placed to pursue careers in either academia or industry.
The following programmes are available:
ICT Doctoral Training Centre
An exciting new Doctoral Training Centre at the ICT was launched in October 2018. A major investment of £2m by Incanthera Ltd. has enabled a series of new PhD studentships to be created over the next 10 years in the field of anticancer prodrug development, building on recent ICT success in this area. This new funding is made possible following major investment into Incanthera to develop ICT2588, invented at the ICT.
The Centre will enable the training of the next generation of high-calibre cancer scientists, while simultaneously enhancing the support and training of existing PhD students at the ICT. The core theme of new centre will be the development of anticancer prodrugs, which are compounds that remain inactive in the body until they reach their target site, thereby significantly reducing toxicity. This major deal will provide a pipeline of new intellectual property opportunities for Incanthera in the future. Opportunities for students joining the Centre include a first-class training environment in an Institute with an international reputation for anticancer prodrug development, dedicated research support, a generous research consumables budget, and opportunities to attend a national and international conference.
For more information contact Dr Robert Falconer at r.a.falconer1@bradford.ac.uk.
First Fully-Funded PhD Studentships for Doctoral Training Centre
Download First Fully-Funded PhD
Studentships for Doctoral Training Centre
(, 985 KB)
The Institute of Cancer Therapeutics is excited to announce its first three fully-funded studentships (3.5 years) at its newly created Doctoral Training Centre.
Anti-psychotic drug could treat aggressive breast cancer
A commonly-used anti-psychotic drug could also be effective against triple negative breast cancer, the form of the disease that is most difficult to treat, new research has found.
Institute of Cancer Therapeutics wins funding from Bone Cancer Research Trust
Dr Robert Falconer, from the ICT, can carry out his four-year project after the Bone Cancer Research Trust raised £100,000 to fund it.
He will be trying to reduce the severe side effects of Methotrexate, a chemotherapy agent used in treating osteosarcoma - or bone cancer.
New research centre launched in ICT to help fight cancer
An exciting new Doctoral Training Centre at the ICT was launched in October 2018. A major investment of £2m by Incanthera Ltd.
Meet the academic team
Professor Richard Morgan
Director, Institute of Cancer Therapeutics and Professor of Molecular Oncology
Professor Richard Morgan-Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics and Professor of Molecular Oncology
My group is developing strategies to target the HOX / Engrailed family of homeodomain containing transcription factors in cancer. Work starting in 2004 gave rise to the currently only available antagonist of HOX function, HXR9, which represents a novel therapeutic approach in cancer.
Publications
Primon M, Hunter KD, Pandha HS, Morgan R. Kinase Regulation of HOX Transcription Factors. Cancers (Basel). 2019 Apr 10;11(4). pii: E508. doi:10.3390/cancers11040508. Review. PubMed PMID: 30974835.
Punia N, Primon M, Simpson GR, Pandha HS, Morgan R. Membrane insertion and secretion of the Engrailed-2 (EN2) transcription factor by prostate cancer cells may induce antiviral activity in the stroma. Nature Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 26;9(1):5138. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41678-0. PubMed PMID: 30914795.
McGrath SE, Annels N, Madhuri TK, Tailor A, Butler-Manuel SA, Morgan R, Pandha H, Michael A. Engrailed-2 (EN2) - a novel biomarker in epithelial ovarian cancer. BMC Cancer. 2018 Oct 3;18(1):943. doi: 10.1186/s12885-018-4816-5. PubMed PMID:30285763.
Platais C, Radhakrishnan R, Ebensberger SN, Morgan R, Lambert DW, Hunter K. Targeting HOX-PBX interactions causes death in oral potentially malignant and squamous carcinoma cells but not normal oral keratinocytes. BMC Cancer 2018;18:723
Morgan R, Pandha H. HOX transcription factors and the prostate tumor microenvironment. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2017;3:278-87. | doi:10.20517/2394-4722.2017.31 1
Professor Paul Loadman
Professor of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics
Professor Paul Loadman heads the drug metabolism team at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, University of Bradford and has >20years experience studying the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of anti-cancer drugs. The team in Bradford have studied a wide range of clinically available and novel small molecules including antimetabolites, platinating and alkylating agents, peptides and antivascular compounds. Prof Loadman is actively involved in the design, analysis and reporting of pre-clinical and clinical pharmacokinetic studies and acts as a pharmacokinetic and drug metabolism consultant for numerous pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Together with Prof Twelves (Clinical Director,) the DMPK team have established a Quality Management System within the ICT which has enabled a strong involvement in the pharmacokinetic monitoring of small molecules in major clinical trials. Other major clinical collaborations include with Professor Mark Hull at the University of Leeds (The seAFOod Polyp Prevention Trial, www.seafood-trial.co.uk) where the laboratory in Bradford are analyzing a series of bioactive lipid mediators such as ω-3 PUFAs, resolvin E1 and PGE-M in plasma, urine, erythrocytes and rectal mucosa in order to gain insights into the mechanism of action of EPA and aspirin.
Professor Laurence Patterson
Professor of Drug Discovery
Dr Robert Falconer
Reader in Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Richard Wheelhouse
Reader in Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Steve Shnyder
Senior Lecturer in Tumour Biology
Dr Steve Shnyder, is a Senior Lecturer in Cancer Biology at the ICT. He has thirty years’ experience as a research scientist: 24 years post-doctoral, 18 months in a start-up pharma, with the past 18 years in a preclinical cancer pharmacology environment at Bradford. He has over 25 years’ experience of working with small mammals, mainly in the preclinical cancer pharmacology field. In his current position he is a Home Office Project and Personal Licence holder and is involved in the management and practical execution of Research and Knowledge Transfer in vivo and in vitro studies carried out at the ICT, working with both UK-based and international clients. His team has contributed to the screening packages of several novel anti-cancer compounds which have subsequently progressed to clinical trials and beyond, using both cell-based and in vivo technologies. He is an author on 65+ journal articles and numerous conference publications as well as three book chapters on in vivo methodology. In addition he has significant experience in the areas of histopathology, biochemistry and cell biology.
He line manages an Experimental Officer whose focus is in vivo studies, and a Research Technician whose focus is in vitro screening. He is a strong proponent of 3Rs philosophy, always striving to apply the 3Rs to all the work he does, and he has been a co-investigator on 2 project grants and a studentship specifically aimed at improving methodology in preclinical cancer pharmacology from a 3Rs standpoint.
Dr Klaus Pors
Senior Lecturer in Chemical Biology & YCR Group Leader
Dr Kamyar Afarinkia
Senior Lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry
Dr Helen Sheldrake
Lecturer in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry
Meet the business team
Dr Jason Jones
Business Development Manager
Jason has a PhD in Chemistry from University of York and 20 years’ experience in R&D and business development in the pharmaceutical and chemical research services sector. Jason has extensive experience in business development and business management and is currently responsible for growing the commercial and collaborative grant funded revenues of a number of Research and Knowledge Transfer Centres across the Faculty of Life Sciences including Pharmaceutical Engineering Sciences, the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics and Centre for Chemical and Structural Analysis. Director and Business Manager for Lena Nanoceutics Ltd a University spin-in company.
Dr Gillian Westgate
Business Development Manager
Gill works at the University of Bradford as Business Development Manager for the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics (ICT), a major centre of excellence for cancer research. Her roles are to develop sustainable partnerships between the ICT and companies/universities developing novel cancer therapeutics and to help translate the science developed at the ICT into business opportunities. She principally works with the academics in the ICT who offer expertise in pre-clinical research models using cancer cells lines and in vivo studies.
Gill has a background in biochemistry and cell biology and she gained experience in translational research working for Unilever Research UK.
ICT networks and partners
Networks and Partners
The Institute of Cancer Therapeutics has many research collaborations and industry partnerships that span all our research capabilities. Some of our leading partnerships are outlined below:
- Yorkshire Cancer Research (Programme grant)
- Cancer Research UK (Funding)
- Prostate Cancer UK (Funding)
- RCUK Science Bridges China (Founding Partner)
- Neuroblastoma Society (Funding)
- St James's University Hospital, Leeds NICR/CRUK funded Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre (Partner)
- EPSRC (Funding)
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust (PhD Studentship)
- University of Leeds (Collaborative research)
- Ethical Tissue (Spin-out)
- Incanthera (Spin-out)
Contact Us
Business support - Jason Jones or Gill Westgate
Address:
Institute of Cancer Therapeutics
University of Bradford
Richmond Road
Bradford
West Yorkshire
United Kingdom
BD71DP
You can also contact the University's Business Partnerships Team who will facilitate a discussion with us.