About Dr William Hill
William leads the Cancer Origins group which is interested in how environmental carcinogens perturb tissue homeostasis to drive tumour initiation, with a specific focus on lung cancer.
William received his Bsc in Biochemistry from Cardiff University (2014), before starting his PhD at the European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute (Cardiff University). Under the supervision of Dr Catherine Hogan he studied cell competition at the earliest stages of pancreas cancer using mouse models. He demonstrated that KrasG12D mutant cells are selectively eliminated by normal neighbours via an EphA2 dependent mechanism. For which he was awarded the Wellcome ISSF Consolidator award.
In 2019, he moved to join the lab of Professor Charles Swanton at the Francis Crick Institute to develop novel evolutionary mouse models of lung cancer to study somatic evolution. He demonstrated that air pollutants promote lung adenocarcinoma by a non-mutagenic mechanism integrating epidemiological, pre-clinical and clinical research. For his accomplishment he was awarded the Francis Crick Science Achievement Award 2023.
Groups
Qualifications
- Bsc in Biochemistry, Cardiff University
- PhD, Cell Competition in Pancreas Cancer, European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute (Cardiff University)
Publications
Why I work at CRUK MI
“I’m excited to integrate across from the incredible local scientific community, the medical oncologists from The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Wythenshawe hospital all the way through to the experts in atmospheric science in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.”
Visit Research Group
The Cancer Origins group is dedicated to understanding how cancer begins, specifically, how oncogenic cells overcome normal tissue restraints, gain malignant potential, and initiate tumour formation. We are interested in how environmental exposures, such as air pollutants, shape the tissue microenvironment to support the expansion of latent oncogenic cells and promote lung cancer
Get in touch
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2024 Annual Report
23 September 2025
23 September 2025
https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2024028033
An in vivo barcoded CRISPR-Cas9 screen identifies Ncoa4-mediated ferritinophagy as a dependence in Tet2-deficient hematopoiesis
4 September 2025
Institute Authors (1)
Justin Loke
Research Group
Myeloid Cancer Biology
4 September 2025
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49692-1
Whole genome sequencing refines stratification and therapy of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma
15 July 2025
Institute Authors (1)
Samra Turajlić
Research Group
Cancer Dynamics
15 July 2025
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-025-02582-x
Mutant p53 induces SH3BGRL expression to promote cell engulfment
1 July 2025
Institute Authors (5)
Garry Ashton, John Weightman, Wolfgang Breitwieser, Sudhakar Sahoo, Antonia Banyard
Labs & Facilities
Computational Biology Support, Mass and Flow Cytometry, Molecular Biology
1 July 2025
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115603
Functional characterisation of the ATOH1 molecular subtype indicates a pro-metastatic role in small cell lung cancer
27 May 2025
Institute Authors (2)
Caroline Dive, Kathryn Simpson
Research Group
Small Cell Lung Cancer Biology
27 May 2025
https://doi-org.manchester.idm.oclc.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-0099
MANIFEST: Multiomic platform for cancer immunotherapy
1 May 2025
Institute Authors (3)
Samra Turajlić, Caroline Dive, Santiago Zelenay
Research Group
Cancer Dynamics
1 May 2025
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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