Dr. Lucy Crompton and Dr. Dan Turnham awarded Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard funding
Sincere congratulations to Dr. Lucy Crompton and Dr. Dan Turnham who have both been awarded grants from the Academy of Medical Sciences through their Springboard scheme. The purpose of the Springboard programme is to offer support for biomedical researchers at the early stages of their independent careers.
Dr. Turnham’s research involves gaining an improved understanding of the changes that take place to cancer cells, particularly those involved in prostate cancer. Dr. Turnham is studying a protein called RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts) that occurs in particular on the surface of aggressive prostate cancer cells which makes them grow more quickly and increases their resistance to chemotherapy. The project will investigate why and how the change in expression of the RAGE protein comes about, with the potential of targeting it for chemotherapy. He will test a new anti-cancer agent that can bind to RAGE and kill the cancer cells, while leaving others unharmed. This could make a massive differences in those with aggressive forms of prostate cancer who currently lack effective treatment options.
Dr. Crompton’s work is focused on the mechanisms involved in Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, she is looking at the role of the protein alpha-Synuclein (aSyn) and how it is triggered to form the toxic aggregates that are symptomatic of Parkinson’s disease. She has been investigating the role that brain astrocytes play in promoting neuroinflammatory processes which lead to aSyn aggregation and how their pro-inflammatory behaviour is modulated through the autophagy lysosomal pathway. A clearer understanding of these mechanisms has far-reaching potential to develop new and effective treatments for this debilitating illness.
We wish Drs Turnham and Crompton the very best in their research endeavours.