Talented, visionary and respected across the globe, Professor Alan Ashworth is a world leader in the field of breast cancer research.
Alan holds a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Imperial College, London and completed his PhD in Biochemistry at University College, London. He has worked at the Chester Beatty Laboratories at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) since 1986 and was part of the team that discovered the BRCA2 gene in 1995.
Two years later, Alan was appointed Professor of Molecular Biology at the ICR, becoming Head of Section of Gene Function and Regulation. In August 1999 he was appointed Director of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre.
Alan’s contributions to mammalian genetics and identification and study of inherited breast cancer susceptibility genes saw him elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in May 2008.
An elected member of EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organisation) and the Academy of Medical Sciences, Alan has played a big part in making the Breakthrough Research Centre the world class facility that it is today. He has led research into new treatments for hereditary breast cancer which are now in clinical trials.
In 2010 Professor Ashworth was appointed Chief Executive at The Institute of Cancer Research.
Professor Alan AshworthAt the Breakthrough Research Centre our aim is to make a difference to the people affected by this disease. We are the first dedicated breast cancer research centre in the UK.
