A Century of Fighting Back Against Cancer
Explore the preclinical discoveries that have shaped how cancer is studied, modelled, and treated. This timeline highlights the scientific progress behind modern oncology research, from early tumour biology to emerging drug discovery workflows.
Preclinical Milestones
The Discoveries That Defined Cancer Science
Each breakthrough below began in a laboratory, with a hypothesis, a model, and the relentless pursuit of understanding.
Discovery of X-Rays
Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays, launching radiation as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. Within years, researchers begin applying it to shrink tumours in preclinical models.
View ReferencePeyton Rous & the Tumour Virus
Rous demonstrates that a virus (RSV) can cause cancer in chickens, the first evidence that infectious agents drive malignant transformation. A Nobel Prize follows 55 years later.
View ReferencePapanicolaou Develops the Pap Test
George Papanicolaou discovers that cervical cancer can be detected by examining cells under a microscope, laying the groundwork for one of the most effective cancer-screening tools ever created.
View ReferenceWatson & Crick Describe DNA's Double Helix
The structure of DNA is unveiled, providing the molecular blueprint for all cancer biology. Understanding how genetic information is stored and mutated becomes the bedrock of oncology for generations.
View ReferencePhiladelphia Chromosome Identified
Nowell and Hungerford discover the first chromosomal abnormality linked to cancer in CML, the first proof that cancer has a definable genetic basis, opening the door to targeted therapy.
View ReferenceKnudson's Two-Hit Hypothesis
Alfred Knudson proposes that cancer requires two separate genetic mutations to develop, a foundational preclinical framework explaining how tumour-suppressor genes are inactivated and hereditary syndromes arise.
View ReferenceFirst Cellular Oncogene (src) Cloned
Bishop and Varmus show that oncogenes originate from normal cellular genes mutated by viruses or spontaneous changes. This Nobel-winning preclinical work reveals cancer is fundamentally a disease of the genome.
View Referencep53 Tumour Suppressor Discovered
The p53 gene, the most commonly mutated gene across all human cancers, is identified. Its protein controls cell proliferation and suppresses tumour growth, reshaping our understanding of cancer biology entirely.
View ReferenceHER2 Oncogene Characterised
HER2/neu is identified as a growth-factor receptor driving aggressive breast and ovarian cancers. Decades of preclinical work eventually leads to trastuzumab (Herceptin), transforming care for HER2-positive patients.
View ReferenceBRCA1 Gene Linked to Hereditary Breast Cancer
Researchers map the first locus for hereditary breast cancer, leading to BRCA1 cloning in 1994. This milestone enables genetic testing and prophylactic strategies that save thousands of lives annually.
View ReferenceAnti-Angiogenesis Therapy Validated
Folkman's hypothesis, that tumours require new blood vessel growth to survive, is vindicated when anti-VEGF antibodies dramatically suppress tumour growth in animal models, paving the way for bevacizumab.
View ReferenceHuman Genome Project Completed
The full mapping of human DNA unlocks the ability to identify the specific mutations powering cancer. This achievement catalyses every subsequent era of precision oncology and biomarker-driven drug discovery.
View ReferenceCAR-T Cell Technology Developed
Sadelain, Brentjens and Rivière begin engineering T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), creating genetically reprogrammed immune soldiers capable of seeking and destroying cancer cells with remarkable precision.
View ReferencePD-1/PD-L1 Checkpoint Pathway Elucidated
Preclinical work reveals how tumours exploit the PD-1 checkpoint to evade immune destruction, underpinning Nobel Prize–winning checkpoint immunotherapy, one of the most transformative shifts in cancer treatment history.
View ReferenceCRISPR-Cas9 Adapted for Genome Editing
Doudna and Charpentier adapt CRISPR-Cas9 into a precise gene-editing tool. In cancer research it rapidly enables identification of driver genes, engineering of tumour models, and next-generation cell therapy development.
View ReferencePatient-Derived Tumour Organoids Established
Researchers develop 3D self-organising tumour "mini-organs" grown from patient tissue. These organoids accurately replicate tumour architecture and heterogeneity, dramatically improving preclinical drug testing accuracy.
View ReferenceTargeted Protein Degradation (TPD) Emerges
PROTAC molecules that selectively degrade previously "undruggable" cancer proteins begin showing dramatic preclinical efficacy, opening a new therapeutic modality for targets long considered inaccessible.
View ReferenceFDA Modernization Act 2.0 Passed
New legislation allows drug approvals without mandatory animal testing, accelerating uptake of organoids, organs-on-chips, and AI models as primary preclinical evidence, a regulatory revolution for cancer drug development.
View ReferenceAI Transforms Preclinical Drug Discovery
Deep learning models predict immunotherapy responses, identify novel targets, and accelerate drug screening. AI-assisted imaging is now being validated across lung, breast, brain, and colorectal cancer preclinical pipelines.
View ReferenceTPD Enters Paediatric Brain Tumour Trials
A programme combining targeted protein degradation with personalised immunotherapy advances into clinical trials for paediatric brain and solid tumours, one of the first clinical examples of TPD in childhood cancers.
View ReferenceCancer research is not a sprint. It is a century-long relay each scientist passing the baton to the next
Every Breakthrough
Starts in a Lab
As we come to the end of Cancer Awareness Month, behind every patient outcome is a preclinical discovery. We want to honor the scientist who ask the questions no one else will.
Equipment Supporting
Cancer Research
