Me and My Research
I started a PhD studentship in 2015 as part of the Epigenetics Unit in the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology (IRDB), Hammersmith Hospital. My PhD studentship is under the supervision of Dr. James Flanagan (IRDB) and Dr. Marc Gunter (International Agency for Research on Cancer - IARC). I am currently funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
My work focuses on the role of epigenetic variation in breast cancer risk. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. I aim to understand risk factors and how these can aid us in prevention. A major risk factor for breast cancer is Type II Diabetes, which can increase breast cancer risk by 20%. Interestingly a drug used to treat Type II Diabetes since the 1950s, Metformin, has been shown to reduce breast cancer risk by 2-fold in diabetic patients, particularly long-term users. The aim of this work is to understand how Metformin reduces breast cancer risk in normal breast cells, hypothesizing that Metformin is altering epigenetic patterns in normal breast cells. This potentially leads to an “epigenetic signature” of Metformin and this “epigenetic signature” could potentially predict breast cancer in the hopes of preventing breast cancer occurrence. |
Me being science-y and what not!
|
Qualifications
|
Awards
|
|
|
|
