ICR and Royal Marsden adult centre

The centre conducts hypothesis‑driven, biomarker‑enriched, first‑in‑human trials of novel compounds developed by academia or industry, addressing unmet patient needs and enabling seamless translation.

Centre overview

Our joint Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and Royal Marsden adult experimental cancer medicine centre (ECMC) is based at the Drug Development Unit (DDU) and is a world-leading centre for early-phase oncology trials.

The DDU is one of the largest units in Europe evaluating a broad spectrum of novel anti-cancer drugs, delivering around 50–60 trials and enrolling 250–300 patients each year.

It runs both investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored studies, through strong collaborative partnerships across other ECMC centres and with pharma, academia, biotech and patient and public involvement and engagement groups.

By conducting trials that are underpinned by integrated pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, genomic and imaging biomarkers, it aims to accelerate early-phase drug development to registration trials.

There is also a paediatric centre at the ICR.

Expertise

academic and industry sponsored first-in-human and early phase clinical
design, development and rapid delivery of investigator-initiated trials
solid tumours and cancers of unmet need
therapies including immuno‑oncology agents, combination drugs, bispecific/trispecific antibodies, protein degraders, radioisotopes, antibody-drug conjugates, small‑molecule agents and personalised vaccines
tumour and liquid biopsies, genomics, RNAseq/snRNAseq, hyperplex immunofluorescence, plasma PLA hyperplex proteomics, deep learning-based AI tools and organoid developments
pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic assay development and validation
development and application of innovative and adaptive trial designs
training the next generation of researchers, including medical, nursing and paramedical staff

Patient population

In 2024

59k

59k new cancer cases within the NHS trust

4,500

4,500 patients enrolled to research studies each year.

Key contacts

Johann de Bono - Centre co-lead

Johann de Bono is Regius Professor of Cancer Research and Head of Clinical Studies at the ICR, Professor in Experimental Cancer Medicine, Director of Drug Development Unit at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. He is an international expert in the development of novel anticancer therapies against adult cancers, particularly prostate cancer.

Udai Banerji - Centre co-lead

Udai Banerji is co-director of the Drug Development Unit at the ICR and The Royal Marsden, where he connects preclinical drug discovery with first‑in‑human trials. His research focuses on pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic optimisation of targeted therapies and drug resistance. He has leadership roles in the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Cancer Research UK Convergence Science Centre.

Bindu Raobaikady - Centre business co-lead

Bindu Baikady is head of Operations and Centre Business Lead in the Drug Development Unit at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. Bindu oversees all operational aspects of academic and industry‑sponsored clinical trials and plays a vital role in developing and strengthening national and international collaborations across academia and industry to advance novel therapies.

Lyra Del Rosario - Centre business co-lead

Lyra Del Rosario is Deputy Head of Operations for the Adult Drug Development Unit at the ICR and The Royal Marsden. Lyra supports the day‑to‑day operational set‑up and delivery of the hosted trial portfolio and represents the unit in local, national and international academic and industry collaborations.

Mary van Zyl - Patient and public involvement lead

Mary van Zyl spent 18 years supporting cancer patients on early‑phase clinical trials, working as a research nurse, senior research nurse, clinical nurse specialist and now as an advanced nurse practitioner. She also leads an active and engaging patient and public involvement group.

Contact details

Drug Development Unit

The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Oakleaf Avenue

Sutton

SM2 5GP

Centre email:

ddu.ecmc@icr.ac.uk

Programme office email:

ecmcadmin@cancer.org.uk