Radka

I have joined NIBRT GlycoScience group in Oxford University (PI Prof Pauline Rudd) in May 2005 as a Research Assistant and defended my PhD at the Institute of Chemical Technology Prague in November 2007 (the group moved from Oxford University to NIBRT, Dublin in August 2006). I continued as a Postdoctoral Researcher working on cancer glycobiomarkers and glycan analysis. I have been awarded an SFI Starting Investigator research grant (SIRG) for “Epigenetic regulation of glycosylation and the impact on chemoresistance in cancer” which commenced in October 2014. This project follows on from novel published findings demonstrating that changes in DNA methylation in ovarian cancer cells are concomitant with significant alterations in the expression of key enzymes that form part of glycosylation. Epigenetic alterations, tumour hypoxia and glycosylation are integral aspects of carcinogenesis. Determining the mechanism of epigenetic regulation of glycosylation and the link with hypoxia and drug resistance will help to improve the treatment of cancer patients by evaluating drugs such as 5-AZA, which is already in clinical trials. Little is known about the impact of this treatment on cellular glycosylation and the ability of cancer cells to bypass apoptotic cell death mechanisms. We expect to provide new insights into the mechanism of these events and identify patients who are resistant to cis-platinum and ultimately improve the treatment and prognosis for these patients.

My other interests include the development and utilisation of high-throughput technologies for N-glycan analysis, clinical marker discovery and role of system biology in regulation of glycosylation in cancer and inflammatory diseases.