Russell Petty

Professor Russell Petty is a Clinical Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Dundee's School of Medicine and holds an honorary consultant position in Medical Oncology at Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside. He has held this position since September 2015, after previously serving as a Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Aberdeen from 2014-2015 and as a Clinical Senior Lecturer there from 2007-2014.

Professor Petty received his medical education at the University of Dundee School of Medicine, followed by general medical training in Dundee, Newcastle, and Hobart, and specialist and academic training in Medical Oncology in Aberdeen and Auckland. His educational background forms the foundation for his extensive clinical expertise in oncology.

His primary research focus is on clinical and translational research in gastro-oesophageal cancers. Professor Petty leads a comprehensive research program that spans from laboratory-based discovery to early and late-phase clinical trials. His work particularly emphasizes personalized medicine approaches for esophageal and gastric cancer patients. He is internationally renowned for leading the COG trial, the first Phase III randomized controlled trial of second-line therapy in esophageal cancer, and its translational arm TRANSCOG, which identified a predictive biomarker for gefitinib-responsive tumors. His research addresses the critical challenge of poor survival rates in esophageal cancer, where 60% of patients die within one year of diagnosis in the UK.

Analysis of Professor Petty's recent publications reveals a continued focus on molecular mechanisms of cancer, particularly in esophageal cancer. His work explores targeted therapies, biomarker development, and the molecular classification of cancers to enable personalized treatment approaches. There is also growing interest in the intersection of cancer biology with aging, immunology, and multimorbidity in his recent work, reflecting the evolving complexity of cancer research.

• Speciality adviser in Medical Oncology to the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland
• Clinical expert for SMC and NICE
• Member of NCRN UGI cancers clinical study group
• Member of EORTC gastric cancer task force
• Editorial Board member of BMC Cancer

Professor Petty has supervised numerous PhD students whose research has focused on biomarkers, targeted therapies, and personalized medicine in gastrointestinal cancers. His current research projects include investigations into multimorbidity in aging cancer patients, EGFR and the tumor microenvironment, nutritional sensing in cancer cells, and novel targets for lung and other cancers. His laboratory program comprises both discovery and validation tracks, utilizing innovative pre-clinical models and biospecimens from well-characterized clinical cohorts to identify new targets and biomarkers for precision medicine in esophageal cancer.