Staff Profile

Research Fellow specialising in Translational Cancer Research | Organoid Models | Ethical Research

Dr. Adriana Buskin is a research fellow at Newcastle University, specialising in cutting-edge translational cancer research with a focus on prostate cancer. Her work spans preclinical and stem cell research, where she has made substantial contributions. As an NC3Rs Research Fellow, Dr. Buskin has pioneered the creation of stem cell-derived organoid models to better understand complex diseases, advance personalised therapies, and reduce the reliance on animal testing.

Dr. Buskin was awarded the prestigious Prostate Cancer UK Career Acceleration Fellowship, and her groundbreaking research is exploring the primary cilium as a novel therapeutic target in advanced prostate cancer. Her collaborations with leading industry partners and her award-winning efforts to reduce animal usage in cancer studies, reflect her commitment to ethical, patient-focused research.

A respected voice in her field, Dr. Buskin has presented her work at leading international conferences and published extensively in top-tier journals. Driven by a passion for improving cancer outcomes, she continues to develop innovative preclinical tools that enhance our understanding of cancer biology and translate her discoveries into real-world therapies.

Areas of expertise:

• Stem cells
• Prostate cancer
• Genome editing

Theme: Precision Medicine, Genomics and Informatics - Faculty of Medical Sciences - Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk)

• Articles

  • Singh P, Lanman NA, Kendall HLR, Wilson L, Long R, Franco OE, Buskin A, Miles CG, Hayward SW, Heer R, Robson CN. Human prostate organoid generation and the identification of prostate development drivers using inductive rodent tissues. Development 2023, 150(13), dev201328.
  • Georgiou M, YAng C, Atkinson R, Pan K, Buskin A, Molina M, Collin C, Alaama J, Goertler F, Ludwig S, Davey T, Luhrmann R, Grellscheid S, Johnson C, Ali R, Armstring L, Korolchuk V, Urlaub H, Mozzafari J, LAko M. Activation of autophagy reverses progressive and deleterious protein aggregation in PRPF31 patient iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells. Clinical and Translational Medicine 2022, 12(3), e759.
  • Sims CHC, Autio MI, Buskin A, Cheung C, Heer R, Foo RSY, Wang X. Modified CRISPR/Cas9 mediated generation of two MKK7 knockout human embryonic stem cell lines. Stem Cell Research 2021, 52, 102238.
  • Hepburn AC, Curry EL, Moad M, Steele RE, Franco OE, Wilson L, Singh P, Buskin A, Crawford SE, Gaughan L, Mills IG, Hayward SW, Robson CN, Heer R. Propagation of human prostate tissue from induced pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2020, 9(7), 734-745.
  • Brydon EM, Bronstein R, Buskin A, Lako M, Pierce EA, Fernandez-Godino R. AAV-Mediated Gene Augmentation Therapy Restores Critical Functions in Mutant PRPF31+/− iPSC-Derived RPE Cells. Molecular Therapy - Methods and Clinical Development 2019, 15, 392-402.
  • Buskin A, Zhu L, Chichagova V, Basu B, Mozaffari-Jovin S, Dolan D, Droop A, Collin J, Bronstein V, Mehrotra S, Farkas M, Hilgen G, White K, Pan KT, Treumann A, Hallam D, Bialas K, Chung G, Mellough C, Ding Y, Krasnogor N, Pryzborski S, Zwolinski S, Alharthi S, Al-Aama J, Xu Y, Wheway G, Szymanska K, McKibbin M, Inglehearn CF, Elliott DJ, Lindsay S, Ali R, Steel DH, Armstrong L, Sernagor E, Urlaub H, Pierce E, Luehrmann R, Grellscheid SN, Johnson CA, Lako M. Disrupted alternative splicing for genes implicated in splicing and ciliogenesis causes PRPF31 retinitis pigmentosa. Nature Communications 2018, 9, 4234.
  • Chichagova V, Hallam D, Collin J, Buskin A, Saretzki G, Armstrong L, Yu-Wai-Man P, Lako M, Steel DH. Human iPSC disease modelling reveals functional and structural defects in retinal pigment epithelial cells harbouring the m.3243A>G mitochondrial DNA mutation. Scientific Reports 2017, 7, 12320.
  • Hallam D, Collin j, Bojic S, Chichagova V, Buskin A, Xu Y, Lafage L, Otten EG, Anyfantis G, Mellough C, Przyboski S, Alhart S, Korolchuk V, Lotery A, Saretzki G, McKibbin M, Armstrong L, Steel D, Kavanagh D, Lako M. An iPSC patient specific model of CFH (Y402H) polymorphism displays characteristic features of AMD and indicates a beneficial role for UV light exposure. Stem Cells 2017, 35(11), 2305-2320.
  • Neganova I, Tilgner K, Buskin A, Paraskevopoulou I, Atkinson SP, Peberdy D, Passos JF, Lako M. CDK1 plays an important role in the maintenance of pluripotency and genomic stability in human pluripotent stem cells. Cell Death and Disease 2014, 5, e1508.
  • Silva IHF, Barbosa AG, Azevedo DA, Sanchez-Diz P, Gusmao L, Tavares CC, Carvalho EF, Silva LAF. An X-chromosome pentaplex in two linkage groups: haplotype data in Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro populations from Brazil. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2010.
  • Barbosa A, Silva LAF, Azevedo DA, Balbino VQ, Mauricio-da-Silva L. Mitochondrial DNA control region polymorphism in the population of Alagoas state, north-eastern Brazil. J Forensic Sci 2008. In Preparation.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • O'Donnell RL, Murray JCC, Buskin AGB, Frame S, Blake DG, Dixon M, McCormick A, Kaufmann A, Plummer ER, Edmondson RJ, Curtin NJ. Therapeutic potential of sapacitabine in ovarian cancers defective in homologous recombination. In: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH. 2013, 615 CHESTNUT ST, 17TH FLOOR, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106-4404 USA: AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH.

• Reviews

  • Buskin A, Singh P, Lorenz O, Robson C, Strand DW, Heer R. A Review of Prostate Organogenesis and a Role for iPSC-Derived Prostate Organoids to Study Prostate Development and Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2022, 22(23), 13097.
  • Hepburn AC, Sims CHC, Buskin A, Heer R. Engineering Prostate Cancer from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-New Opportunities to Develop Preclinical Tools in Prostate and Prostate Cancer Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2020, 21(3), 905.