Professor John Chester

Overview

John is the Director of the Wales Cancer Research Centre and an academic clinician. His academic roles in the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences at Cardiff University include Professor of Oncology in the School of Medicine, and Lead for the College’s Cancer Research Theme. His clinical work is as Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff.

He qualified in medicine from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School (Imperial College, London) in 1993, having previously completed a first degree in biochemistry in Oxford and a PhD in molecular biology at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow. He completed specialist training in 1996 and remained in Yorkshire as Clinical Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at St. James’s University Hospital, Leeds between 2002 and 2011.

John’s clinical practice has predominantly been in bladder cancer, germ cell tumours and head/neck cancers, and he has specialist clinical research interests in trials for bladder and head/neck cancers, and in stratified medicine. His laboratory research interests include virus-mediated gene therapy and molecular biomarkers of response to cancer therapy. Amongst his various other roles are: Lead for the Cardiff Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC); strategic lead for the Velindre Cancer Centre Phase I trials unit; and Deputy Director of the Wales Cancer Bank. He serves on Cancer Research UK’s New Agents Committee, the Advisory Board for its Centre for Drug Development and its Clinical Career Committee. He also sits on the Management Board of Welsh National Research Network for Life Sciences.