Tumour Microenvironment
Understanding how the tumour microenvironment affects cancer cell behaviour and how it contributes to a cancer cell’s response to ionising radiation is essential in understanding how to prevent the establishment, growth and progression of cancers and how to exploit the tumour microenvironment for therapeutic gain.
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Welcome to the The Department of Oncology. The Department of Oncology's mission is to improve cancer care through research and teaching. There is strong emphasis on translation, with established infrastructure to develop scientific insights toward clinical appreciation.
The Department houses over 400 staff and postgraduate students - both clinical and non-clinical - and is one of the largest departments in the University of Oxford's Medical Sciences Division.
One of the key aims for the Department is to bring together basic scientific and clinical research groups from across Oxford - based in the Old Road Campus Research Building, the Radiobiology Research Institute, the Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine and the NHS Cancer and Haematology Centre - to apply knowledge of cancer and to develop research so that we may better understand how we can combat cancer in the most effective way possible.
Our News
Dr Matthew Jackson Awarded Pump-Priming Funding through Medical Sciences Division
18 August 2025
Matthew Jackson, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Oncology, has been awarded his first project grant through the Medical Sciences Internal Fund Pump-Priming Scheme. This award will allow Matt to build on initial findings from his doctoral research, investigating the fundamental cell biology of CD8+ T cells.
Scientists reveal how cells repair toxic DNA damage linked to cancer and premature ageing
21 July 2025
Researchers at the University of Oxford and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore have uncovered the mechanism by which cells identify and repair a highly toxic form of DNA damage that causes cancer, neurodegeneration, and premature ageing.
Oxford Cancer launches 2025 OCION Funding Scheme
13 June 2025
The 2025 Oxford Cancer Immuno-Oncology Network (OCION) Funding Scheme is now open!
New Study Finds Common Virus May Improve Skin Cancer Treatment Outcomes
23 April 2025
A new study led by the University of Oxford has revealed that a common and usually harmless virus may positively influence how skin cancer patients respond to current treatments.