Professor Martin Taylor, at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer, is a member of team CAUSE - one of five new teams to receive up to $25m for approximately five years to tackle some of the toughest challenges in cancer research. The global, interdisciplinary team of researchers has been selected to receive the Cancer Grand Challenges award to tackle the mechanisms driving mutational signatures challenge.Cancer Grand Challenges is a global research initiative, co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US, that identifies the toughest challenges in cancer research and empowers a community of world-class, interdisciplinary research teams to come together and take them on.The Cancer Grand Challenges CAUSE team is led by University of California San Diego’s Ludmil Alexandrov. Team CAUSE challenge Exposure to carcinogens can elicit specific patterns of DNA damage (mutational signatures).The recent surge in whole-genome sequencing of normal and cancerous tissues has led to the identification of an increasing number of these signatures.To date, there have been over 100 distinct single-base pair and dinucleotide mutational signatures identified but the cause of the majority of these remains unknown.Team CAUSE aims to understand the origin of these mutational signatures by systematically characterising DNA adducts and exploring their underlying mutagenic mechanisms - endogenous processes, geography-linked exposures and chemotherapy-induced damage - to provide actionable insights for cancer prevention and treatment. The innovative funding of the Cancer Grand Challenge brings together an exceptional team, applying a range of cutting-edge technologies with coordination across samples and experimental systems. This joined-up approach is exactly what we need to trace the full chain of events from DNA damage to mutations. That matters because DNA damage causes cancer and is used to treat it, so better understanding could improve both prevention and therapy. It’s also very exciting, as there are big mysteries to address, such as unmasking the type of damage responsible for most of the mutations that drive cancer. Professor Martin Taylor Personal Chair of Evolutionary Genomics Cancer Grand Challenges research and breakthroughs are made possible through our co-founders and visionary partners. Thanks to their incredible $125 million funding this year, we’re able to unite exceptional research teams from across the globe to tackle the most complex problems in cancer today. Together, we’re creating opportunities for bold team science that could redefine what’s possible for people affected by cancer. Dr David Scott Director of Cancer Grand Challenges The CAUSE team unites clinicians, advocates and scientists with expertise in chemistry, prevention, AI, public-health, region-specific environmental exposures and more, across 6 institutions in 3 countries.This team is funded by Cancer Research UK, the National Cancer Institute and KWF Dutch Cancer Society) through Cancer Grand Challenges.The five funded teams span nine countries, 34 institutions and unite more than 42 investigators and researchers. Associated links Cancer Grand Challenges teams Martin Taylor research group Photo credit: Cancer Grand Challenges Tags 2026 Publication date 27 Feb, 2026
