I'm particularly interested in understanding glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and aggressive brain tumour in adults. Treatment options for GBM patients are extremely limited, and after initial surgery and combined radio- and chemotherapy, tumours inevitably recur, at which point they are rapidly fatal.
My research group is conducting several studies aimed at understanding the roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in brain tumour biology. EVs, of which ‘exosomes’ are a subset, are stable, virus-sized particles released by all cell types. They contain an array of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and other metabolites, which reflect the cell of origin but also display selective packaging of some molecules. Interest in the biological roles of EVs, predominantly as novel intercellular communicators, is expanding rapidly and includes direct roles in human pathology e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration and metabolic disease.
My research utilises cutting-edge mass spectrometry with novel sample preparation procedures to resolve the molecular landscape of cancer. I am active in biomarker research, resolving novel protein markers by quantitative proteomic strategies using surgical tissues, aspirates and peripheral serums.
