Research

The focus of my research is breast cancer and in particular the factors involved in the progression of in situ to invasive disease with the aims of identifying 1) markers which can predict behaviour, and 2) novel therapeutic targets. Current research involves development of in vitro models of Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and their use to investigate the influence of the microenvironment on tumour cell behaviour, focusing on the functional significance of altered myoepithelial and fibroblast phenotype in DCIS.

We have strong links with The Breast Unit at Barts Cancer Centre.

In parallel with our work on the microenvironment, we are investigating the molecular diversity of in situ and invasive breast cancer in different populations (e.g. different ethnic groups, high risk patients) and its therapeutic implications.

I am also the Course Director for the MSc Cancer & Molecular Pathology and Genomics Course.

Other Activities

• Editor-in-Chief, the Journal of Pathology
• Pathology Lead for North, East & West London Genomic Laboratory Hub
• Lead for Molecular Pathology for Genomics England
• Lead for Breast Cancer Now National Breast Tissue Bank
• Member of International Cancer Genome Consortium Breast Working Group
• Lead Pathologist & member of steering committee on the POSH (Prospective study of Outcome in Sporadic versus Hereditary breast cancer) national trial
• Lead Pathologist on IBIS-II, UK-DCIS, FHO1 breast clinical trials
• Associate Editor Journal of Pathology
• Honorary Member Royal College of Radiologists Breast Group
• Member of British Breast Group

Major Funding

• 2019-2024- Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank and Specialist Cell Bank, £3.8M 
• 2019-2022- Rosetrees Trust PhD Studentship, £70,500 
• 2018-2021- Pathological Society Of Great Britain And Ireland, An integrated genomic analysis of DCIS heterogeneity to identify signatures of progression, £285,052.62
• 2016-2019- Breast Cancer Now, Breast Cancer Now, Project Grant (LJ PI), Defining Biomarkers to Predict Response to Tamoxifen in the Preventive Setting (Co-Investigators J Cuzick, S Duffy, P Schmid), £276,007
• 2015-2018- Breast Cancer Now, Programme Grant (LJ PI), Breast Cancer Now Breast Tissue Bank and Establishment of Metastatic Tissue Bank, £1.56M
• 2015-2018- Medical Research Council, Clinical Research Fellowship, Defining Mechanisms of Hormone Therapy Breast Cancer Risk Reduction and Biomarkers of Response, £222,804

Recent Publications

TGFβ-mediated MMP13 secretion drives myoepithelial cell dependent breast cancer progression Gibson SV, Tomas Bort E, Rodríguez-Fernández L et al. npj Breast Cancer (2023) 9(7)

Everybody needs good neighbours: the progressive DCIS microenvironment Gibson SV, Roozitalab RM, Allen MD et al. Trends in Cancer (2023) 9(7) 326-338

Characterization of the Immune Microenvironment in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Using Multiplex Immunofluorescence Badr NM, McMurray JL, Danial I et al. Pathobiology (2023) 90(7) 31-43

Multiscale deep learning framework captures systemic immune features in lymph nodes predictive of triple negative breast cancer outcome in large-scale studies Verghese G, Li M, Liu F et al. Journal of Pathology (2023) (7)

Mechanostimulation of breast myoepithelial cells induces functional changes associated with DCIS progression to invasion Hayward MK, Allen MD, Gomm JJ et al. npj Breast Cancer (2022) 8(7)

A biobank perspective on use of tissue samples donated by trial participants Speirs V, Cox A, Chelala C et al. The Lancet Oncology (2022) 23(7) e205

Detection of involved margins in breast specimens with X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography Massimi L, Suaris T, Hagen CK et al. Scientific Reports (2021) 11(7)

Exploring the potential of cycloidal computed tomography for advancing intraoperative specimen imaging Morgó ORI, Massimi L, Suaris T et al. Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering (2021) 11840(7)

Subcellular mRNA localization regulates ribosome biogenesis in migrating cells DERMIT M, Dodel M, Lee F et al. Developmental Cell (2020) 55(1) 298-313

Cancer Burden Is Controlled by Mural Cell-β3-Integrin Regulated Crosstalk with Tumor Cells Wong PP, Muñoz-Félix JM, Hijazi M et al. Cell (2020) 181(7) 1346-1363.e21

Team

Postdoctoral Researchers in this group
Dr Michael Allen

PhD Students
Ms Ohud Alsalmi, Mr Sarantos Kaptanis, Ms Niki Prekete, Dr Fred John Nnaemeka Obiajulu

Clinical Research Fellows
Dr Natalie Allen, Dr Kathryn Hawkesford, Dr Philip Elliott

Biography

I joined Barts Cancer Institute in April 2004. I trained in Medicine at Leicester University and specialised in Breast Pathology, undertaking a PhD at the Breast Cancer Research Unit in Leicester analysing the tumour-suppressor role of breast myoepithelial cells.