Michael Stratton

Michael Stratton has led the Wellcome Sanger Institute's cancer genome sequencing efforts that have cataloged millions of somatic mutations across all cancer types, creating the COSMIC database that serves as the definitive reference for cancer mutations. His laboratory discovered the BRAF V600E mutation in melanoma, directly leading to the development of vemurafenib and dabrafenib. He pioneered mutational signature analysis, revealing that distinct mutational processes leave characteristic imprints on cancer genomes that can identify carcinogen exposures and DNA repair deficiencies. His systematic approach to cancer genome characterization has transformed molecular oncology.