Senior Lecturer in Clinical Therapeutics
After graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry and Biochemistry and MSc in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, I initially worked for the Forensic Science Service researching new DNA fingerprinting technologies.
I then moved to University of Sheffield and worked in the Molecular Genetics facility to continue research into DNA sequencing. I then moved to Newcastle University where I studied for my PhD in the Department of Surgical Oncology at the Medical School. My thesis examined proteins implicated in mechanisms that lead to the spread of prostate cancer to bones. After my PhD, I held post-doctoral and then senior post-doctoral positions at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research. These roles studied molecular mechanisms of cancer progression and novel anti-cancer drug development.
I joined University of Sunderland in 2015 as a Senior Lecturer and currently lecture across multiple courses including Pharmacy, Medicine, and Biochemistry.
My current research interests focus on understanding the genes and intracellular signalling networks involved in cancer development and progression.
Teaching and supervision
I currently teach Medicine, MPharm, Biopharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Sciences.
Module Leader:
PHAM02 – Advanced Therapeutics
BPS320 – Cancer Targets and Therapeutics
Module Lecturer:
BPS216 – Cellular and Clinical Biochemistry
PHA112 – Healthy Patient: Principles of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology
PHA223 – Integrated Therapeutics, Endocrine, GU and MSK systems
PHA332 – Disease Systems: Endocrine and Genito-Urinary Systems
Research interests for potential research students
- Novel drug target identification/validation
- Aberrant growth factor signalling in cancer
- Molecular pathology of cancer
- Post-translational modification of proteins
- Identification of novel binding proteins in molecular complexes
Research
My research has several themes. In conjunction with collaborators at Newcastle Medical School, we examine aberrant intracellular signalling cascades involved in the progression of cancer. This is facilitated by cutting-edge molecular biology techniques to turn on/off novel biomarkers and target genes in cancer cell lines to determine phenotypic effects on pathway modulation.
Also, in conjunction with colleagues in the School of Pharmacy, we are developing and subsequently studying the effects of novel drug compounds that target key regulators of cancer progression.
Finally, we are studying the impact of key genes at a bioinformatic level, mining vast clinical databases for patterns of gene signatures involved in cancer development and progression.
- Professional Membership of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
- Chartered Chemist (CChem)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
- Accredited Biosafety Practitioner, Biosafety Training Institute, Edinburgh University
- Professional Membership of British Association for Cancer Research
- Professional Membership of the American Association for Cancer Research
- Chartered Biologist, Institute of Biology (CBioL)
- Forensic Science Service Certified DNA profiler and DNA analyst