We are investigating how normal stem cells transform into cancer cells in a range of sytems, both by studying stem and progenitor cell fate and also by investigating the role of a specific cell fate regulators. Our focus has been on Hes6, which regulates neural differentiation and is highly expressed in some brain tumours, and Notch signalling, which is active in glial tumours. We have investigated the role of hes6 in vitro. A parallel interest is clinical research into the treatment of brain tumours, which has included a phase pharmacodynamic study of Aq4N in glioma patients, where we were able to use confocal microscopy to visualise the drug in the nuclei of dying tumour cells.
