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Ahel group receive major Cancer Research UK funding award

Deciphering the processes regulating cell fate and genomic stability is the challenge the Dunn School’s Ivan Ahel, in collaboration with Professor Goran Landberg from Gothenburg University, will be focusing on in a major six year project funded by Cancer Research UK starting in September 2016.


The project “Understanding the function of MACROD1 and MACROD2 proteins and their relevance to cancer” is vital for advancing scientists’ understanding of cancer, drug resistance in cancer cells, and potentially for the development of new treatments.


Ivan explains:  “The goal of this project is elucidation of the physiological roles of the two least characterized enzymes that can reverse protein ADPribosylation, MACROD1 and MACROD2. In doing so we also aim to determine the role/s MACROD1 and MACROD2 play in cancer and cancer metabolism with the intention to provide new data that may provide a direction for the development of novel cancer treatment strategies.”


Crucially it is hoped Ivan’s research may provide insights into new ways to either sensitise cancer cells to death or to protect non‐cancerous cells hence overcoming the deleterious effects of traditional cancer treatments such as radio‐ and chemo‐therapy.


Visit the Ahel group’s website to find out more.