Melissa Davis - Research Projects

Melissa Davis - Research Projects

Projects

Regulatory networks driving epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in breast cancer

In this project, we are using cell-line models of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to identify the molecular interactions and regulatory networks that underpin EMT in breast cancer.

To date, we have discovered that different triggers of EMT cause substantially different molecular responses, and use different signalling networks to drive toward a convergent phenotype. We have also identified distinctive differences in the way cell line models respond to drugs, depending on whether their EMT is triggered by signalling molecules or hypoxia.

This work is part of the EMPathy Breast Cancer Network.

Team members: Sepideh Foroutan, Soroor Zadeh

Alternative splicing and network rewiring

Now abundant transcriptomic data has revealed a wealth of alternative splicing and alternative transcription that creates great diversity in the proteome.

We seek to identify how regulated processes such as alternative splicing introduce variability into the proteome and alter the way molecules interact in signalling and regulatory networks. Building on this knowledge, we can explore the ways in which dysregulated splicing and mutation can change regulatory and signalling networks in cancer and other disease states.

Project resource: Rewiring the dynamic interactome 

Team members: Tiane Ryman, Dharmesh Bhuva

Modelling information flow in cellular signalling and regulation networks

Cells process many kinds of information using systems of molecular interactions that are dynamic and precise while remaining robust to variable environments and internal states.

We apply different methods for modelling information flow in cellular systems to understand how changes or disruptions to signalling networks results in altered cellular states in different cell types, both from normal conditions and in cancer.