Exosome switching, a new mechanism in cancer biology
Professor Deborah Goberdhan (Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics) received money from the John Fell Fund to support her work investigating exosome switching. Find out more about Professor Goberdhan's research, and about how it was advanced by the John Fell Fund.
project overview
Exosomes are tiny membrane-bound structures containing collections of proteins, which are released by cells. They can travel to other cells and alter their behaviour. Professor Goberdhan’s group has identified a new method of exosome production and found that cancer cells switch to this as tumours grow. The alternative exosomes produced from this ‘exosome switch’ invoke changes in recipient cells, which are associated with tumour adaptation and cancer progression. This project has used a broad range of approaches to investigate how this switch worked, with the John Fell Fund providing funds to purchase equipment to support the research.
RESEARCHer profile
Associate Professor of Cell Signalling
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Physiology
funding
This project received £68,000 from the John Fell Fund between January and June 2015. This funding contributed matching funding towards the cost of two pieces of equipment supporting a larger Cancer Research UK bid and so was awarded from the Main Awards Category E (support related to a current external bid). The equipment is used by several research groups in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and in collaborations with the Departments of Oncology and Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences. The project also supports a major programme of work that links together basic research on South Parks Road with more clinically orientated work at hospitals in Oxford to establish a ‘translational’ pipeline for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Read more about the John Fell Fund from Research Services