Professor Caroline Dive
Interim Director of the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute | Director of the CRUK National Biomarker Centre | Small Cell Lung Cancer Biology Joint Group Leader
Caroline is Interim Director of the CRUK Manchester Institute and Director of the aligned CRUK National Biomarker Centre, with research spanning tumour biology, preclinical pharmacology, biomarker discovery, biomarker assay validation and clinical qualification to regulatory standards, bioinformatics, biostatistics and most recently, digital clinical trials. Caroline is also a Senior Group Leader, jointly running the Small Cell Lung Cancer Biology group with Kathryn Simpson at the CRUK Manchester Institute.
About Professor Caroline Dive
After completing her PhD studies in Cambridge, Professor Caroline Dive moved to Aston University’s School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Birmingham where she established her own group studying mechanisms of drug induced tumour cell death, before moving to The University of Manchester to continue this research.
Caroline was awarded a Lister Institute of Preventative Medicine Research Fellowship before joining the CRUK Manchester Institute in 2003.
Currently, she is Interim Director of the Manchester Institute and Director of the aligned CRUK National Biomarker Centre, with research spanning tumour biology, preclinical pharmacology, biomarker discovery, biomarker assay validation and clinical qualification to regulatory standards, bioinformatics, biostatistics and most recently, digital clinical trials.
Caroline was awarded the Pasteur-Weizmann/Servier International Prize in 2012 for her Biomarker Research, the AstraZeneca Prize for Women in Pharmacology in 2016 and was presented with the 2019 Heine H. Hansen Lectureship Award by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). She is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2015), Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society (2012) and Fellow of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences (2011). In 2017, Caroline was awarded Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her services to cancer research. Caroline became an elected member of EMBO (2020), received the first inaugural Johann Anton Merck Award in recognition for exceptional contributions to the field of preclinical oncology (2020), and was the recipient of the Mary J. Matthews Pathology/Translational Distinguished Service Award by IASLC (2021). Caroline was the President of the European Association for Cancer Research (2020 – 2022).
Qualifications
- PhD in Experimental Cancer Chemotherapy | 1988 | MRC Clinical Oncology, Cambridge
- Pharmacy Pre-Registration Training | 1985 | Eastbourne District General Hospital
- BPharm 1st Class Hons | 1984 | School of Pharmacy, University of London
Interests
- Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Cancer of Unknown Primary
- ctDNA liquid biopsy biomarkers
Research Projects
Publications
- Interrogating the precancerous evolution of pathway dysfunction in lung squamous cell carcinoma using XTABLE
- A novel human model to deconvolve cell-intrinsic phenotypes of genetically dysregulated pathways in lung squamous cell carcinoma
- Soluble guanylate cyclase signalling mediates etoposide resistance in progressing small cell lung cancer
- TIAM1-RAC1 promote small-cell lung cancer cell survival through antagonizing Nur77-induced BCL2 conformational change
- Lineage Plasticity in SCLC Generates Non-Neuroendocrine Cells Primed for Vasculogenic Mimicry
Why I work at CRUK MI
““I joined the Institute in 2004 to drive forward my basic discovery program of research on the regulation of drug-induced apoptosis in tumour cells. I quickly realised the enormous opportunity here adjacent to The Christie Hospital and, with encouragement from former Director Prof Nic Jones, I set about developing a cancer biomarker centre. I met thoracic oncologist Dr Fiona Blackhall during those early years, and she introduced me to the urgent clinical challenge of Small Cell Lung Cancer. We started our longstanding collaboration with the discovery of plentiful circulating tumour cells in the blood of patients with SCLC. Fast forward 20 years, I remain committed to research on mechanisms of chemoresistance and metastasis within Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute to improve outcomes in Small Cell Lung Cancer and now I direct the Institute-aligned Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre. The Institute is the perfect spot for translational research so I never left!””
Visit research group
Small Cell lung Cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive type of lung cancer and represents ~15% of all lung cancer cases with median survival of less than one year. SCLC is rapidly proliferating, highly metastatic and quickly develops chemotherapy resistance. Obtaining tumour biopsies is challenging and lack of molecular understanding of tumour heterogeneity historically prevented development of personalised therapy approaches. In 2014, our lab pioneered a preclinical model of SCLC known as a CDX (Circulating Tumour Cell (CTC) patient-derived explant) that capitalises on the high CTC burden of in patients. When isolated from a 7.5 ml blood draw, CTCs are engrafted into immune-compromised mice where resultant tumours reflect the molecular and phenotypic features of the donor patient’s tumour. After a decade of model development, we now have a biobank of >65 CDX models that recapitulate the extensive molecular heterogeneity of this disease, comprise the spectrum of therapy responses of donor patients and mimic metastatic traits. A wealth of multi-omic data exist for CDX models that combined with spatial information (multiplex imaging and transcriptomics) is being used to understand SCLC plasticity and evolution through treatment. Our focus is on gaining a better understanding of acquired chemotherapy resistance and the discovery of mechanisms of metastasis (especially to liver and to brain) to define personalised approaches to treatment. Our basic discovery program links to the portfolio of SCLC liquid biopsy biomarker development and validation efforts in the CRUK National Biomarker Centre.
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Careers that have a lasting impact on cancer research and patient care
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Institute life in Manchester
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“We are so pleased to have received the funding to enable us to test our hypothesis in the lab. If we can create a new medicine that can precisely target a specific type of cell within the tumour, and restore anti-cancer immune responses, this will be a game-changer for oesophageal cancer patients “
Sara Valpione
Former Institute Clinical Fellow and now Clinician in Residence within the CRUK National Biomarker Centre
“My charity bake sales – known as “David’s Great British Bake Off” – are always a hit, home baked products taste so much better than shop bought and are greatly appreciated by staff!”
David Jenkins
Purchasing Officer
“We’ve seen some remarkable responses, with an improvement for some patients within days. This is an early phase trial so there’s a lot more work to do. But the data we have so far is very encouraging and could help many thousands of people in the future”
Tim Somervaille
Senior Group Leader
“It is a pleasure to introduce my team who work to deliver our research goals. We work in a friendly and collaborative environment, supporting each other’s projects. “
Amaya Virós
CRUK Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellow
“We are so pleased to have received the funding to enable us to test our hypothesis in the lab. If we can create a new medicine that can precisely target a specific type of cell within the tumour, and restore anti-cancer immune responses, this will be a game-changer for oesophageal cancer patients “
Sara Valpione
Former Institute Clinical Fellow and now Clinician in Residence within the CRUK National Biomarker Centre
“My charity bake sales – known as “David’s Great British Bake Off” – are always a hit, home baked products taste so much better than shop bought and are greatly appreciated by staff!”
David Jenkins
Purchasing Officer
“We’ve seen some remarkable responses, with an improvement for some patients within days. This is an early phase trial so there’s a lot more work to do. But the data we have so far is very encouraging and could help many thousands of people in the future”
Tim Somervaille
Senior Group Leader
“It is a pleasure to introduce my team who work to deliver our research goals. We work in a friendly and collaborative environment, supporting each other’s projects. “
Amaya Virós
CRUK Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellow