About
I completed my PhD in Cancer Biology at the University of Liverpool in 2023, where I investigated the structural and functional interactions between galectins and galactose-terminated glycans in epithelial cancer cells. My research focused on galectin-2 and -4, representing the proto and tandem galectin subgroups, and their roles in cancer progression and metastasis. Using an integrated biochemical and structural biology approach, I characterised how these galectins bind carbohydrate ligands at the molecular and atomic level, and how this influences cancer cell behaviour. I also evaluated heparin-derived oligosaccharides as inhibitors of galectin-mediated activity, contributing to the foundation for novel anti-metastatic therapeutics.
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunity Group, led by Professor Aras Kadioglu, where I study the transmission of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Using several host-to-host mouse transmission models, I investigate the host-pathogen interactions that drive bacterial spread between individuals and test potential treatments that could inhibit transmission. I also aim to build on this work to contribute to the development of a universal pneumococcal vaccine. My background in glycobiology and structural biology allows me to bring a molecular perspective on host-pathogen interactions to this work. The overall aim of my research is to identify targets that can be exploited to interrupt transmission and prevent disease.