tumourigenesis. Within the same study, they also showed that non-stem cells lacking APC could form lesions but would rarely progress. Following on from these studies, the group worked with Florian Greten's laboratory to show that additional mutations can cause an expansion in the cell of origin. This work built upon work in Owen's laboratory on understanding the cooperation of APC with mutations in other genes such as KRAS and PTEN. Key regulators of metastasis Owen's group has developed models of metastatic disease and identified critical components of the metastatic pathway, which has led to the design of trials specifically aimed at targeting metastatic disease in pancreatic cancer, e.g. Dasatanib in resectable pancreatic cancer patients. The group also provided definitive functional information on the role of mutant p53 in metastasis and mechanisms behind the process: integrin recycling, LOX, RHO The group also identified critical roles for RAC and its GEFs in melanoma migration and metastasis. Awards and honours In 2007, Owen won the Young Scientist Frank Rose Award in recognition of his contributions to translational cancer research and in 2012 he was awarded the CRUK Future Leaders in Cancer Research Prize for his contributions to cancer research. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2012 and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2017. References 1975 births Living people Alumni of the University of Nottingham Alumni of the University of Manchester Alumni of the University of Edinburgh British oncologists Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom)