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Find a PhD Supervisor

Dr Roberta Burden

School of Pharmacy
Roberta Burden

Dr Roberta Burden

School of Pharmacy

 

Dr Burden’s research is focused on dissecting molecular mechanisms by which proteases contribute to normal physiological processes and inflammatory disease biology.

 

Research from her group has discovered that Cathepsin S transcriptionally regulates CCL2, promoting macrophage recruitment to colorectal tumours, while evaluation of ER+ breast cancers has identified elevated Cathepsin V expression is associated with reduced survival.

 

The overall objective of her research is to understand the complexity of protease biology and determine their feasibility as biomarkers and drug discovery targets.

Contact info

  • askmhls@qub.ac.uk

Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the field of

  • Protease biology
  • Inhibitor development (small molecule and biological inhibitors)

Make a PhD enquiry


Current Research Opportunities

  • Assessing the molecular mechanisms by which Cathepsin V promotes breast cancer growth and metastasis.

Public outreach & key achievements

Cathepsin V suppresses GATA3 protein expression in luminal A breast cancer. Sereesongsaeng N, McDowell SH, Burrows JF, Scott CJ, Burden RE.

Breast Cancer Res. 2020;22(1):139.

 

Procathepsin V Is Secreted in a TSH Regulated Manner from Human Thyroid Epithelial Cells and Is Accessible to an Activity-Based Probe.

Al-Hashimi A, Venugopalan V, Rehders M, Sereesongsaeng N, Hein Z, Springer S, Weber E, Führer D, Bogyo MS, Scott CJ, Burden RE, Brix K.

Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(23):9140.

 

Significance of nuclear cathepsin V in normal thyroid epithelial and carcinoma cells.

Al-Hashimi A, Venugopalan V, Sereesongsaeng N, Tedelind S, Pinzaru AM, Hein Z, Springer S, Weber E, Führer D, Scott CJ, Burden RE, Brix K.

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res. 2020;1867(12):118846.

 

A Novel Role for Cathepsin S as a Potential Biomarker in Triple Negative Breast Cancer.

Wilkinson RDA, Burden RE, McDowell SH, McArt DG, McQuaid S, Bingham V, Williams R, Cox ÓT, O'Connor R, McCabe N, Kennedy RD, Buckley NE, Scott CJ.

J Oncol. 2019;2019:3980273.

 

A bioavailable cathepsin S nitrile inhibitor abrogates tumor development.

Wilkinson RD, Young A, Burden RE, Williams R, Scott CJ.

Mol Cancer. 2016;15:29.

 

Extracellular cathepsin S and intracellular caspase 1 activation are surrogate biomarkers of particulate-induced lysosomal disruption in macrophages.

Hughes CS, Colhoun LM, Bains BK, Kilgour JD, Burden RE, Burrows JF, Lavelle EC, Gilmore BF, Scott CJ.

Part Fibre Toxicol. 2016;13:19.

 

CCL2 is transcriptionally controlled by the lysosomal protease cathepsin S in a CD74-dependent manner.

Wilkinson RD, Magorrian SM, Williams R, Young A, Small DM, Scott CJ, Burden RE.

Oncotarget. 2015;6(30):29725-39.


Research students

Name: Sara McDowell
PhD title: Characterisation of the protease CTSS as a novel therapeutic target in TNBC.
Years of Study: 2018 - 2022
Country: Northern Ireland

Name: Samantha Gallaher
PhD title: Dissecting the Role of Cathepsin S in DNA Damage Repair Deficient Tumours.
Years of Study: 2018 - 2022
Country: Northern Ireland

Name: Ola Ebbeni
PhD title: The Development of peptide based non-cell penetrant Cathepsin S inhibitor.
Years of Study: 2019 - 2023
Country: Jordan

Name: Sarah Seawright
PhD title: Development of Antibody Technologies for the Production of Novel Therapeutic and Diagnostic Applications.
Years of Study: 2017 – 2023 (part-time)
Country: USA/Northern Ireland


Alumni: Where are they now

Name: Naphannop Sereesongsaeng
PhD title: Dissecting the role of Cathepsin V in breast cancer.
Years of Study: 2017 - 2020
Country: Thailand
Current position: Higher Scientific Officer, Institute of Cancer Research, London.

Name: Fatima Ishaq
PhD Title: Evaluation of nanoparticle treatment on intracellular protease activity profiles.
Years of Study: 2015 - 2018
Country: Nigeria
Current Position: Lecturer, College of Nursing Science, Nigeria.

Name: Richard Wilkinson
PhD title: Evaluating Cathepsin S as a target and a biomarker in cancer.
Years of Study: 2012 - 2015
Country: Northern Ireland
Current position: Research Fellow, Almac Discovery, Belfast.


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Medical Biology Centre,
97 Lisburn Road,
Belfast, BT9 7BL. 

Phone :+44 (0)28 9097 2086
E-mail: pharmacyinfo@qub.ac.uk

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