Mrs Nauf Bou Antoun
Contact
- Email: k1741364@kingston.ac.uk
- Location: Penrhyn Road
- Faculty: Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment
- School: School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry
- Department: Department of Biomolecular Sciences
Research project: Profiling wild type and FGFR inhibitor drug resistance cervical cancer cell lines
Abstract
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers in women. However, it unfortunately remains one of the most common malignant tumours after breast cancer in the developing world. In the last decade, there has been an increase in cervical cancer incidence in young women according to Cancer Research UK (2013), estimating that only 63% of the affected women will survive over 10 years. Fibroblast growth factors and their receptors have been implicated in breast cancer susceptibility and progression as well as in a number of other cancers including cervical, endometrial, prostate, lung, suggesting that FGF signalling may be co-opted by cancer cells. Although some studies have highlighted the involvement of FGFR signalling in cervical cancer, the aetiology and molecular mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. It is apparent that further investigation into the involvement of FGFR signalling in cervical cancer prevention is required.
- Research degree: PhD
- Title of project: Profiling wild type and FGFR inhibitor drug resistance cervical cancer cell lines
- Research supervisor: Dr Athina-Myrto (Myrto) Chioni
- Other research supervisors:
Biography
I was always fascinated by Biological Sciences as well as by Chemistry so I did my first degree in Life and Earth Sciences at the Lebanese university in Lebanon. After completing my MSc in Medicinal Chemistry with Distinction at the Open University, I became passionate about research and specifically exploring the molecular mechanisms of diseases in order to identify and validate novel potential therapeutic targets and develop novel therapies that would hopefully improve people's lives.
I learnt all the essential molecular biology laboratory techniques at University College London (UCL). Then between February and July 2017, I held a position of a visiting researcher in a research laboratory located in the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology (IRDB) building at Imperial College London. During this period, I worked on a glioblastoma project from which I gained valuable skills on a wide range of laboratory techniques
In January 2019, I got awarded from Advance HE and Kingston University an Associate Fellowship in the Higher Education Academy.
Areas of research interest
- Cancer research
- cervical cancer
- FGFR signalling pathway
- Tyrosine kinase receptors
- Drug Resistance
Qualifications
- Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Kingston University, London. Advance HE
- MSc in Medicinal Chemistry. The Open University
- BSc in Life and Earth Sciences. Lebanese University