Genetic factors responsible for risk of breast and prostate cancer are largely unknown. Mutations in genes currently known to be associated with susceptibility only account for a small proportion of the familial aggregation of these cancers. I will be applying new genetic technology to population-based studies of cancer to identify new genetic and epigenetic markers of cancer risk. I will use this information to improve health care for families with prostate and breast cancer.
As a molecular geneticist, I am interested in how and why genetic mutations occur, how these changes cause disease or disease predisposition, and ways of better treating and monitoring genetic disease. The ‘model diseases’ I am most interested in are blood cell diseases such as autoimmunity (e.g. arthritis) and leukaemias.