Pourreyron Celine

Biography

Celine obtained her PhD from University of Lyon (France) in 2003 whilst working on the microenvironment of bowel cancer with Pr. J.Y. Scoazec. From 2003-2005, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Lyon with Pr. Scoazec and Dr. P. Rousselle. Since 2005, she is a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. A. South’s laboratory which is based at Ninewells Hospital in the Division of Cancer Research. Celine is investigating the different factors involved in cutaneous cancer cell migration and invasion. She is also developing mouse models of skin cancer and genetic skin disorders to test therapeutic compounds. Celine is funded by an ERC grant.

Research Interest

Metastasis is the process where cancer cells disseminate and establish secondary tumours at distant sites and is acknowledged to be responsible for cancer deaths in most cases. During this process, tumour cells which have already acquired proliferative advantages complete their progression by increasing their migratory capability enabling them to disseminate and establish secondary tumours at distant sites. Using gene expression profiling, Dr. A. South identified actin-related proteins as being potentially involved in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) keratinocyte motility in response to stimuli from the microenvironement. Celine is currently investigating this hypothesis using 2D or 3D co-culture models of cutaneous cancer cell migration and invasion. Celine is also strongly involved in Dr. A. South’s lab in vivo work. Potential anti-cSCC targets were identified by gene expression profiling array and were validated in vitro. With Sheila Wright, Celine is testing drugs against one of these anti-cSCC targets in a mouse model of cSCC xenograft. She is also strongly involved in the development of xenotransplantation that consist in grafting a skin equivalent on the back of SCID mice. This model will be used as preclinical model of skin cancer and genetic skin disease therapies.