Stephanie Mcardle

Biography

Stephanie supervises PhD and MSc students on a regular basis. Academically she has attended the supervisor course and received the Post-Graduate Certificate for Higher Education (PGCHE). She is also a qualified First Aider for the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre. She reviews original papers for journals such as Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunology, European Journal of Cancer, Cancer Therapy, vaccine supplement and Medicinal Chemistry and Amino-Acid. She also reviews grant proposals and writes grants. She has established many collaborations with national and international laboratories. She oversaw an International project involving nine laboratories and presented the results at the European Society of cancer and immunotherapy (ESCII) conference held in Athens, Oct. 2008. She has organised two ELISPOT workshops and helped organised PIVAC12 conference which were all great successes. She is also regularly invited to give seminars in the UK and in Europe about the work that the group lead by Professor Rees and Professor Pockley are doing at the John van Geest Cancer Research Centre.

Research Interest

The John van Geest Cancer Research Centre is focused on improving the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of prostate and breast cancer. They have an exceptional number of experts and state of the art technologies which will allow them to interrogate in great depth markers expressed on the surface of immune cells (10 colours flow cytometry) as well as assess their function (Flow cytometry sorting machine MoFlo still considered one of the best of its kind). They will also be able to assess markers present in the serum and urine (ELISA, beads arrays flow cytometry and Mass Spectrometry). Castrate resistant prostate cancer patients have relatively poor prognosis where current treatment have failed and therefore new treatment aimed at stimulating the immune system might prove their last hope. The staff at the centre have identified novel peptides from the Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP) as well as p53 antigens. Using pre-clinical tumour model of prostate cancer they have already been able to show the efficacy of some of these peptides and are aiming to increase this efficacy with the help of nano-particle delivery system (developed and patented by Gareth Cave) and/or a Shigella toxin beta-subunit (STxB) conjugate-based (Prof. Tartour Head of INSERM, Hospital Européen Georges Pompidou), which will be coupled to the PAP derived-peptide identified. This new and unique vaccine will be assessed in original preclinical orthotopic and spontaneous prostate cancer (TRAMP) model in collaboration with Prof. Bellone at the University of Milan and Dr Anna Grabowska at Nottingham University. Moreover it is known that the functionality of the immune system declines with age ('immune senescence') and that it is also influenced by nutritional status. Given that the gut microflora is altered in individuals over 60 years old and that 70% of our immune system is located in the gut mucosa, it is essential that potential immunotherapeutic strategies are evaluated in pre-clinical models that more closely represent the clinical situation. The new vaccines comprised of PAP peptide delivered prophylactically or therapeutically will be assessed in aged animals with / without supplementation of their diet with a symbiotic which promotes beneficial gut bacteria. It will thereby determine the synergistic interaction between cancer vaccination and controlled modification of the microbiome in a more relevant mouse model.