Hazel Jones | Head of Combination Therapies
Cancer Research U.K.

Dr Hazel Jones works for the CRUK Centre for Drug Development and is responsible for the   ECMC Combination Alliance (Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, http://www.ecmcnetwork.org.uk/collaborations/combinations-alliance/), which supports investigator led early phase clinical trials. The Combination Alliance drives academic and industry collaborations to increase the number of novel combination options for patients with cancer. Her team facilitates access to the disease expertise across the ECMC network by collating study ideas and supporting combination trial set-up and delivery. There are currently 6 partners in the initiative, benefiting from a standard framework for potential novel: novel combinations across companies and opportunities to broaden the commercial market size. Hazel’s main role is to engage new partners to expand the Combinations Alliance, ensuring progress of the best combinations through clinical development.
 
Prior to this, Hazel worked in CRT Discovery Labs, translating CRUK discoveries into novel therapies via Alliances with Pharmaceutical industry. This role covered all biological aspects of drug discovery, from ensuring robust target validation, through to supporting assay cascades and understanding mechanism of action, before building a strong scientific rationale for patient populations via complex preclinical models.
 
Hazel also has extensive experience of biotherapeutics with nearly 10 years working at MedImmune (previously Cambridge Antibody Technology and now the global biologics business for AstraZeneca).  She has worked on drug projects ranging from angiogenesis, to direct cell signalling and immunotherapy. Hazel has significant expertise in developing tumour models; using them to provide robust pharmacology packages to drive projects towards the clinic (e.g. primary xenografts, genetically engineered mouse models). Overall she has in-depth knowledge of the oncology drug discovery and development in small biotech, big Pharma and academic settings.