About the authors

Dean A Fennell

Dr Dean A Fennell is a Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist, Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Medical Oncology at Queen's University Belfast and the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre. He obtained degrees in Pharmacology, Medicine and Surgery at UCL. He completed his general medical training at the Hammersmith, Brompton, Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals. This was followed by a PhD at UCL as a MRC training fellow and specialization at St Bartholomew's Hospital. He is member of the EORTC lung group board, NCRI lung and mesothelioma clinical study groups, and British Thoracic Oncology Group Steering committee. His clinical focus is early clinical trials of apoptosis pathway targeted therapeutics, and he leads a mitochondrial pharmacology group focusing the molecular regulation of mitochondrial membrane permeability during apoptosis. He is past NTRAC lead in Belfast (2005–2006), leads the MRC CancerGRID programme in Belfast. He is reviewer for several International basic science and clinical journals, and published several peer reviewed papers in both clinical and basic research. In 2007, Dr Fennell was elected fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.

Giovanni Gaudino

Dr Giovanni Gaudino gained his degree in Biological Sciences in 1973 from University of Torino, Italy. Currently, Dr Gaudino is Full Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Piemonte orientale 'A. Avogadro' in Novara, Italy. He holds a doctoral degree in Biochemistry from University of Torino, Italy. He has published over 50 papers. Since 1999, Dr Gaudino has focused on the molecular mechanisms of malignant mesothelioma oncogenesis.

Kenneth J O'Byrne

Dr Ken J O'Byrne gained his medical degree in 1984 from University College, Dublin (UCD). Currently, Dr O'Byrne is Clinical Director of the haematology, oncology and palliative care services at St James's Hospital (SJH), Dublin. He holds a doctoral degree in medicine from UCD. He has published over 150 papers and has developed a thoracic oncology research group and thoracic tumor biobank in the Institute of Molecular Medicine, Trinity Medical School on the SJH Campus. Since 1990 Dr O'Byrne has focused on cancer translational research.

Luciano Mutti

Dr Luciano Mutti gained his medical degree in 1982 from Genoa University, Italy. Currently, Dr Mutti is Chief of the Department of General Medicine and Director of the Lab of Clinical Oncology in Vercelli Hospital, Italy. He holds a speciality in Respiratory Medicine from University of Genoa and a PhD in Oncology from University of Turin, Italy. He is the current President of the Italian Group for the study of Mesothelioma (G.I:Me) and of the scientific committee of the Buzzi Foundation for the research on Mesothelioma. He has published over 50 papers on preclinical and clinical studies on Mesothelioma and with his group developed novel approaches to the treatment of this tumor.

Jan van Meerbeeck

Dr Jan van Meerbeeck is Head of the Unit of Thoracic Oncology at the University Hospital Ghent and Professor in Thoracic Oncology at Ghent University. His scientific interests are the diagnosis and multimodality treatment of mesothelioma and lung cancer. He is the Study Coordinator and Principal Investigator for numerous international phase II and III studies. A member of the EORTC since 1987, Dr Van Meerbeeck has served the Lung Cancer Group (LCG) in several capacities: as secretary from 1994–2000, as chairman from 2003–2006. He has been co-promotor of several PhD's in Belgium and the Netherlands. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles in oncology and pulmonology journals and textbooks. He is on the review and editorial board of several international journals. He has (co-)organized several national and international scientific meetings on thoracic oncology.