Charlie Gourley

Charlie Gourley graduated in Genetics and Medicine from Glasgow University in 1991 and 1994 respectively. From 1998–2005, he trained in Medical Oncology in Edinburgh, during which time he was awarded a PhD in ovarian cancer genetics from the University of Edinburgh and an NHS Education for Scotland Clinician Scientist Award. He was appointed Senior Lecturer in Medical Oncology at the University of Edinburgh in 2005, Reader in 2011, and Professor of Medical Oncology (Personal Chair) in 2012, having received a Scottish Senior Clinical Fellowship Award in 2010. He became Director of the Nicola Murray Centre for Ovarian Cancer Research in 2016, Clinical Director of the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre in 2019, and Clinical Director of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre in 2022.

His clinical research focuses on ovarian cancer trials. He was UK Lead for the SOLO1 trial, which led to the first-line licence for olaparib in BRCA-mutant ovarian cancer, and for the GOG281/LOGS trial of trametinib, the first positive randomised controlled trial in low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

His laboratory group focuses on the molecular characterisation of ovarian cancer to improve understanding of drug sensitivity and resistance. Current work includes exploring WRN loss, CCNE1 amplification and mtDNA mutations as vulnerabilities in high-grade serous ovarian cancer, alongside PARP inhibitor resistance mechanisms in the same disease; using cell line and organoid models in low-grade serous ovarian cancer to prioritise drugs for clinical trials and stratify MEK inhibitor therapy; and, across histological subtypes, characterising antibody-drug conjugate target expression and exploring artificial intelligence for multi-feature characterisation.

Charlie has sat on major clinical and scientific cancer research funding committees in the UK, France and Germany. He has also chaired the GCIG (Gynaecological Cancer InterGroup) Translational Committee, and currently chairs the ENGOT (European Network for Gynaecological Oncology Trials) Rare Tumours Working Group.