Richard White

Richard White is a Professor of Genetics at the University of Oxford, affiliated with Exeter College. His research focuses on leveraging zebrafish models to dissect fundamental mechanisms of cancer biology, particularly melanoma, by integrating genetic tools and advanced imaging techniques.

• Clinical background in oncology
• Developed the transparent casper zebrafish strain for tumor imaging
• Investigates developmental programs co-opted by cancer cells
• Explores interactions between cancer cells and microenvironment

White's work examines how neural crest developmental programs influence melanoma progression, including oncogene response, anatomical positioning effects, and metastasis mechanisms driven by adipocytes and lipid signaling. His recent publications highlight phenotypic plasticity in melanoma and computational tools like BayesTME for spatial transcriptomics analysis.

Key research themes:

• Role of tumor microenvironment in cancer progression
• Developmental biology parallels in melanoma
• Imaging and genetic manipulation of cancer ecosystems
• Therapeutic targeting of microenvironment interactions