Evolutionary biology of cancer.

Cancer's ability to evolve within a patient—changing its genetic makeup and resisting treatment—is the central problem this research tackles head-on, treating tumours not as static masses but as dynamic, adapting systems. Most cancer research focuses on the genetic mutations that drive the disease, but this approach struggles to explain why tumours inevitably become resistant to drugs. The gap is a missing evolutionary perspective: how cancer cells compete, adapt, and survive under the pressure of treatment, much like bacteria evolving antibiotic resistance. This project aims to fill that gap by establishing evolutionary biology as a core foundation for cancer science. If successful, this work could change how doctors predict and manage cancer. Instead of treating based on a single biopsy, clinicians might use quantitative evolutionary measures to forecast which mutations will emerge next, and when. This could guide smarter, adaptive treatment schedules—alternating or combining drugs to outpace resistance before it becomes entrenched. The research also aims to inform drug development teams directly, designing therapies that deliberately exploit cancer's evolutionary vulnerabilities rather than being outsmarted by them. For patients, this could mean longer periods of disease control and fewer instances where a promising drug suddenly stops working.