Investigates how exposure to ionizing radiation, from a variety of occupational, medical and environmental sources, can lead to genomic damage. Her work is grouped into four broad areas: genetic markers of radiation exposure, understanding health risks, health and wellbeing, and education and engagement.
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Dr. Virmouni’s research is dedicated to investigating the pathogenesis and potential therapies for Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA), a hereditary disease. She has received grant funding to study the metabolic signatures of FRDA and has previously studied the efficacy of histone methyltransferase (HMTase) inhibitors as a therapeutic approach. Her research also extends to oncology, where she has investigated the signaling and metabolic networks in breast cancer.
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Specializes in scientific and educational research. Her scientific work focuses on DNA damage and molecular repair mechanisms in mammalian cells, including extreme chemo-/radiosensitivity and resistance in cancer cells. Her educational work involves designing laboratory practical skills for students.
emma.bourton@brunel.ac.uk
Prof. Joanna Bridger's research concerns how the genome is spatially organized, influenced, and manipulated within the cell nucleus. The Bridger group focuses on genome behavior in replicative senescence, Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, host-pathogen interactions, and female cancers.
joanna.bridger@brunel.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Biosciences whose research dissects how NF-κB and related transcriptional networks drive cancer cell survival and therapy resistance. Her group investigates inflammatory signaling, metabolism–cancer crosstalk, and drug-targetable nodes to improve treatment strategies.
concetta.bubici@brunel.ac.uk
Genetic epidemiologist focused on computational/statistical genetics of common complex disease. He integrates rare and common variants to map risk and biology in cardiometabolic traits, diabetes and cancer, leveraging biobanks and large-scale cohorts.
fotios.drenos@brunel.ac.uk
Specializes in human toxicology, metabolism disruption, and endocrine disruption. Her current research investigates the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on adipogenesis and metabolic disorders like obesity. She is a co-lead of the Cellular Differentiation and Tissue Structure cluster and works on developing novel in vitro approaches to create human-relevant models for disease, with the goal of reducing the need for animal testing.
sibylle.ermler@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Hernandez's work is centered on the molecular mechanisms of human genetic disorders, particularly ciliopathies like Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS). He has developed animal models (zebrafish and BBS mouse models) to study the biological progression of these disorders, focusing on retinal degeneration and obesity. A significant aspect of his work involves developing gene therapy solutions using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to deliver corrected gene copies, an effort that has resulted in a patent application and the founding of the Brunel spin-out company TestaVec Ltd.
victor.hernandez@brunel.ac.uk
Professor Karteris has a long-standing interest in the use of liquid biopsies for biomarker development and mTOR signaling, with an emphasis on reproductive endocrinology and ovarian cancer. He also researches the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals and other hormones on the fetal-placental unit. He is the facilitator for the new Space Travel research cluster, which investigates how the human body adapts to space.
emmanouil.karteris@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Lewis, a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, runs a research laboratory focused on cancer genetics and gene regulation, with a particular interest in colorectal cancer. Her work uses cell lines and animal models to study how common genetic variants (SNPs) affect gene expression and increase an individual's risk of developing cancer. Her lab's primary focus is to determine how non-coding SNPs associated with colorectal cancer affect gene expression and related cancer pathways.
annabelle.lewis@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Mackay, a Senior Lecturer in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, directs her research towards Organ-on-a-Chip technology, low-cost diagnostics, prosthetics, and soft robotics. She leads the interdisciplinary OOC Research Group at Brunel, which develops alternative systems to study women's health issues, including cancers, pregnancy outcomes, and sexually transmitted infections. Her work involves the intricate development of microfluidic devices and innovative manufacturing methods.
ruth.mackay@brunel.ac.uk
Researches RNA splicing, LMNA mutations, progeria and hTERT regulation, including exosome therapies and alternative splicing.
evgeny.makarov@brunel.ac.uk
A Lecturer with research interests in computational and systems biology, including bioinformatics, machine learning, and medical informatics. She also works on gene therapy safety and the use of technology to monitor medical conditions.
annette.payne@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Roberts' research interests are primarily in the field of oncology. His work investigates telomerase expression in cancer, the genetics of breast and prostate cancer, and the potential of anti-cancer compounds derived from the graviola fruit. He also studies lung cancer biomarkers and has conducted research on the effect of chemotherapeutic agents on telomere length maintenance in cancer cell lines.
terry.roberts@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Rudolph is a world-renowned expert in bacterial DNA replication, repair and chromosome dynamics. His research focuses on DNA replication termination, how CRISPR-Cas systems connect to DNA processes, transcription-replication conflicts and how they shape bacterial chromosomes, and how antibiotics and antibiotic-like substances such as artificial sweeteners impact DNA replication. His goal is to understand how cells accurately duplicate genomes and what happens when these processes fail, with applications in antibiotic development and genomic instability diseases like cancer.
christian.rudolph@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Sisu is a Senior Lecturer in Genomic Data Analytics. Her research focuses on the study of pseudogenes from both an evolutionary perspective and as key players in various diseases. She is the leader of the Genomic Informatics and Epidemiology group, which develops and applies computational and statistical methods to understand the genome's role in health.
cristina.sisu@brunel.ac.uk
A senior lecturer and bioscientist specializing in chromosome biology. His research focuses on telomeres and their role in medicine and evolution. He advocates for the concept of 'biocivilisations,' which views the biosphere as a flow of biogenic forms and functions.
predrag.slijepcevic@brunel.ac.uk
A Professor of Gene Therapy and Genotoxicity. His research expertise covers gene therapy vectors and their genotoxic side effects, stem cell biology, and cancer. He is a founding director of the Brunel spin-out company TestaVec Ltd., which focuses on screening the safety of gene therapy products.
michael.themis@brunel.ac.uk
Reader and Head of the Leukaemia and Chromosome Research Laboratory. We are interested in understanding the impact of acquired chromosomal rearrangements in the initiation and progression of cancer, with particular focus on infant leukaemia. Our ultimate goal is to identify targeted therapies for those cancers where chemotherapy alone is ineffective.
sabrina.tosi@brunel.ac.uk
A Professor of Life Sciences Education. His research interests include Drosophila genetics, Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) signaling, and apoptosis-induced proliferation. He studies how cells within tissues integrate signals to regulate growth and homeostasis.
david.tree@brunel.ac.uk
A Professor of Cell Biology. Her research is focused on cell division, specifically the dynamics and organization of chromatin during the transition from mitosis to G1. She is also interested in the role of protein phosphatases in regulating post-mitotic events and is a key collaborator on projects related to simulated microgravity.
paola.vagnarelli@brunel.ac.uk
Dr. Zhang, a lecturer in Additive Manufacturing, focuses her research on developing functional engineered tissues. Her work is applied to tissue regeneration, drug testing, and disease modeling. She has a specific interest in organ-on-a-chip engineering. Her research group aims to create new biomaterials and biofabrication methods, including advanced 3D printing and drug-loading techniques, to improve engineered tissues and organoids for the repair of damaged organs.
bin.zhang@brunel.ac.uk
Lecturer in Biosciences (Epigenetics) leading quantitative cancer biology research that integrates single-cell live imaging, systems microscopy and modelling to study oncogenic signalling and DNA damage responses.
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Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences with a focus on molecular cardiology. Her research investigates the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in cardiovascular diseases, particularly in cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets.
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Lecturer in Cell Biology investigating how mechanical cues and cytoskeletal dynamics control cell migration, division orientation and metastatic behaviour in complex microenvironments.
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Lecturer in Biosciences using molecular dynamics and computational biophysics to understand membrane proteins, ion channels and protein-lipid interactions with relevance to transport and pharmacology.
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Head of Department (Biosciences) whose research focuses on osteoclast biology and membrane trafficking in skeletal systems, including osteo-immunology and nano-bio interactions.
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Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences studying centriole and distal appendage biology, primary cilia and epithelial polarity as signalling hubs in development, disease and cancer resistance.
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The Castro Lab studies how the nuclear periphery — from Lamins to Nuclear Pore Complexes (NPCs) — shapes genome function in health and disease. Our work explores how chromatin is regulated in these two functionally distinct compartments and we are especially interested in the effects of laminopathies in nuclear envelope regulation and how NPCs control the import of large molecules, such as the HIV-1 virus.
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Lecturer in Biosciences researching immune cell development and function, with emphasis on transcriptional control of B-cell biology, stem/progenitor pathways and autoimmunity.
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