Andy DJ Pearson, MD

Prof Andy Pearson is formerly a Cancer Research UK Professor of Paediatric Oncology, at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust. In May 2014 he retired due to ill health from The Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Prior to 2005 he had been Professor of Paediatric Oncology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Professor Pearson trained at Newcastle upon Tyne and was Lilly International/Medical Research Council Travelling Fellow at the University of Minnesota, USA.

Professor Andy Pearson's expertise is in the fields of drug development and neuroblastoma and has over 40 years experience in clinical paediatric oncology.

Professor Pearson led the first paediatric phase I study in the UK. He has been involved in the pre-clinical and early clinical development of many anti-cancer agents in children. He was Chair of National Cancer Research Institute Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Clinical Studies Group Novel Agents Subgroup and a member of New Agents Committee of Cancer Research UK. He is a member of the Executive and Clinical Trial Committee of the Innovative Therapy for Children with Cancer Consortium (ITCC). He is a member of the Steering Committee of the multi-stakeholder CDDF - ITCC - International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe (SIOPE) Paediatric Oncology Platform (ACCELERATE) to improve drug development for children and adolescents with cancer. He has been on the Organising Committee of the ACCELERATE-European Medicine Agency (EMA) Paediatric Strategy Forums. He led a comprehensive paediatric drug development program, with one of the largest portfolios of early phase, first in child, biomarker rich studies in Europe at The Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden focusing on neuroblastoma.

He was the first Chair of the United Kingdom Children Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG) Neuroblastoma Group, Chair of the European Neuroblastoma Group and was the founding chair of International Society of Paediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group (SIOPEN). He remains on the Advisory Board of SIOPEN. He and Professor Sue Cohn of Chicago created and chair the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group Consortium (INRG). He was President of Advances in Neuroblastoma Research Association from 2012 - 2014 and was on the ANRA Advisory Board for Europe and Russia since 2006. He was Chairman of the UKCCSG from 2003 - 2006. Professor Pearson was the Chief Investigator of the clinical trial ENSG 5 which changed the standard practice for the therapy of high risk neuroblastoma in Europe. He was the Chief Investigator of the BEACON Trial; the first randomized European study for refractory/relapsed neuroblastoma. He has published over 350 scientific manuscripts.

He was awarded a Life Time Achievement Award from Advances in Neuroblastoma Research in 2016.