Fellow

Professor Caldas is Professor of Cancer Medicine and directs the cancer genomics group at the Cambridge Cancer Centre. He has made significant contributions to oncology in 3 areas: (1) the identification/characterization of novel genes as targets of somatic mutation in epithelial cancer (2) the study of hereditary cancer (3) the clinical application of molecular tools. For example, his work on MTS1/p16 mutations/deletions in primary pancreatic cancers was the key observation that confirmed MTS1/p16 as a tumour suppressor gene. His description of germline E-cadherin mutations in hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) in non-Maori kindred and the seminal finding of early gastric cancer lesions in young asymptomatic mutant gene carriers have contributed significantly to the understanding of genetic predisposition to gastric cancer. Amongst other studies, his reports on the use of mutation detection in stool samples to diagnose pancreatic neoplasms show innovative contributions to the clinical application of molecular knowledge.