Hannon was known for his contributions to
small RNA biology, cancer biology, and mammalian
genomics. He had a role in the discovery of
oncogenes, beginning with work that led to the identification of
CDK inhibitors and their links to cancer. His laboratory also discovered the
piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway and linked this to
transposon repression and the protection of
germ cell genomes. award to unite the IMAXT team - a team of researchers from Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, the USA and the UK, with far ranging expertise from cancer biology and pathology to astronomy and even VR video game design. The team's aim is to create an interactive 3D map of cancer, which could be explored in
virtual reality. The programme could transform the way researchers study cancer by providing unprecedented insight into how individual cells are arranged and how they interact to allow the tumour to grow. In 2018, it was announced Prof Hannon would guide the Functional Genomics Centre, a collaboration between Cancer Research UK and
AstraZeneca. The centre, housed inside the Milner Therapeutics Institute, aims to act as a hub for
genetic screens, cancer models,
CRISPR tool design, and computational approaches to
big data to understand genetic changes in cancer development and identify potential drug targets. ==Awards and honours ==