Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Dr Gordon Strathdee

Lecturer in Genome Instability

Background

Research Group Leader - Researching altered DNA methylation in cancer to identify novel therapeutic targets and molecular markers

Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research, Biosciences Institute

Member Newcastle University Centre for Cancer

Member Precision Medicine, Genomics and Informatics research theme

Affiliate Ageing and Geroscience research theme

Member of Institute EDI committee, TCRI

EDI lead, Precision Medicine, Genomics and Informatics research theme

Member of Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee


Research


Research Interests

The primary interest in my lab is examining the role of a key epigenetic change, altered DNA methylation, in the development, progression and drug sensitivity of leukaemia. This can be split into 3 areas:

  1. Identification of novel, cancer-cell specific, targets – The optimal type of treatment for cancer would be ones that can specifically target cancer cells, while having little or no impact on normal cells and consequently low toxicity for the patient. We are using a novel bioinformatic approach, combining genome wide DNA methylation and gene expression data to identify genes that are required for the survival of cancer cells, but which are not required by normal healthy cells (known as synthetic lethal genes). Targeting the proteins produced by these synthetic lethal genes can then give us a way of specifically killing cancer cells that should have little or no impact on healthy cells. Initially we demonstrated the utility of this approach in childhood leukaemia, but have now expanded the analysis for the identification of synthetic lethal genes across multiple types of solid and haematological cancers.

  2. DNA methylation changes as a cause of long term health effects in cancer survivors – Survival rates for many cancers have improved dramatically and consequently there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cancer survivors in the population. Particularly in survivors of childhood cancer, it is now clear that cancer survivors suffer from a greatly increased risk of many chronic disease and a consequent reduced life expectancy. We are investigating potential mechanism that could underlie these serious late effects that occur many years after cancer treatment have ceased. In particular, we have identified extensive epigenetic changes induced by anti-cancer treatment and are investigating the possibility that these may be key drivers of late health effects in cancer survivors.

  3. Prognostic markers and predictors of drug sensitivity – Leukaemia typically exhibits very large numbers of DNA methylation changes at diagnosis. This gives us a potentially rich source of markers to allow us to predict patient prognosis or response to therapy. We are currently using genome wide DNA methylation data from diagnostic samples and also from samples after exposure to therapy to identify methylation based markers that can predict patient outcome and also to identify genes that are playing a direct role in resistance to chemotherapy


Selected Recent Grants (as PI, within the last 5 years)

2010 – 2013    Tyneside Leukaemia Research Association, Project grant “Defining the opposing roles of HLXB9 in myeloid and lymphoid leukaemia” Gordon Strathdee, Christine Harrison, Value £85,443

2011 – 2012    Dunhill Medical Trust, Project grant “Investigation of the mechanism of DNA methylation instability and its role in age related disease”, Gordon Strathdee, David Oscier, Mays Jawad, John Mathers, Value £74,357

2011 – 2015    Iraqi Ministry of Education, PhD studentship “Identification and verification of methylation markers for the prediction of outcome in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia” Gordon Strathdee(PI), Fadhel Lafta, Value £111,000

2014 - 2018     Bloodwise, Project grant “Clinical exploitation of HOXA4 status for directing treatment in CLL patients Gordon Strathdee(PI), Value £185,239

2014 – 2018    NUORS Fellowship/China Scholarship Council, PhD studentship “The molecular role of MNX1 in control of leukaemia cell growth and survival”, Gordon Strathdee(PI), Fang Ju Value £75,560          

2015 – 2017    JGW Patterson Foundation, Project Grant, “Identification of epigenetic regulators of chemosensitivity in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia”. Gordon Strathdee(PI), Elaine Willmore, Value £48,041

2016 – 2017    Newcastle Healthcare Charities, Project Grant, “Investigation of epigenetic damage induced by anti-cancer therapies as a potential mechanism leading to poor long term health outcomes in childhood cancer survivors”. Gordon Strathdee(PI), Linda Sharp, Jill McKay, Value £23,041

2018 – 2021    Kidscan, PhD Fellowship, “Enabling the development of less toxic and more effective cancer therapies through identification of synthetic lethal genes for specific cancer subtypes” Gordon Strathdee(PI), Edward Schwalbe, Lalchung Nungabt, Value £15,000

2019 – 2020    JGW Patterson Foundation, Project Grant, “Investigation of altered DNA methylation, induced by anti-cancer therapies, as a mediating mechanism of serious late health effects in survivors of childhood/young adult cancer” Gordon Strathdee(PI), Linda Sharp, Jill McKay, Value £35,123

Teaching

Lecturing 

Lecturer for BMS2014 Biology of Ageing

Member of steering group for BMS2014 Biology of Ageing

Lecturer for BMS3020 Chronic Disease

Supervision of undergraduate project students in Biomedical Sciences

 

Postgraduate Supervision

Supervision of PhD students

Supervision of Faculty of Medical Sciences MRes and MSci students


 

Publications