Career overview

2005 - present: Senior Lecturer, Cancer & Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University

2002-2005: Senior Research Fellow, Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University

1997-2002: Senior Research Fellow, Infection and Immunity, University of Wales College of Medicine

1995-1997 Senior Editor, Medicina; Medical and Scientific Publishing House, Budapest, Hungary

1992-1995 Research Fellow, Neuroimmunology Research Group, Department of Medicine, The University of Queensland, RBH, Brisbane, Australia.

1989-1991 Research Officer, Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Australia

1988-1989 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, USA.

Education and qualifications

1988: PhD in viral immunology. John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

1982: MSc/BSc. 1st Class Hon in biology/biochemistry. Attila József University, Szeged, Hungary

My research focuses on the role of the immune system in cancer. I am especially interested in the effect the tumour microenvironment exerts on the function of immune cells. It is important to understand how this complex interaction can be manipulated, in order to reverse localised immunosuppression and improve the outcome of conventional and novel therapeutic approaches. The projects in my laboratory are patient-based and incorporate translational elements, designed to aid the development of personalised cancer treatment.

Al-Taei, S.et al. 2016. Prostaglandin E2-mediated adenosinergic effects on CD14+ cells: self-amplifying immunosuppression in cancer. OncoImmunology (10.1080/2162402X.2016.1268308) pdf Welton, J.et al. 2016. Proteomics analysis of vesicles isolated from plasma and urine of prostate cancer patients using a multiplex, aptamer-based protein array. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 5, article number: 31209. (10.3402/jev.v5.31209) pdf Webber, J.et al. 2016. Prostate stromal cell proteomics analysis discriminates normal from tumour reactive stromal phenotypes. Oncotarget (10.18632/oncotarget.7716) pdf Rintoul, R.et al. 2016. MesobanK UK: an international mesothelioma bioresource. Thorax 71(4), pp. 380-382. (10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-207496) pdf Salimu, J.et al. 2015. Cross-Presentation of the Oncofetal Tumor Antigen 5T4 from Irradiated Prostate Cancer Cells--A Key Role for Heat-Shock Protein 70 and Receptor CD91. Cancer Immunology Research 3(6), pp. 678-688. (10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-14-0079) Webber, J.et al. 2015. Differentiation of tumour-promoting stromal myofibroblasts by cancer exosomes. Oncogene 34, pp. 290-302. (10.1038/onc.2013.560) pdf Chowdhury, R.et al. 2015. Cancer exosomes trigger mesenchymal stem cell differentiation into pro-angiogenic and pro-invasive myofibroblasts. Oncotarget 5 pdf Spary, L.et al. 2014. Tumor stroma-derived factors skew monocyte to dendritic cell differentiation toward a suppressive CD14+PD-L1+phenotype in prostate cancer. OncoImmunology 3(9), article number: e955331. (10.4161/21624011.2014.955331) Spary, L.et al. 2014. Enhancement of T cell responses as a result of synergy between lower doses of radiation and T cell stimulation. The Journal of Immunology 192(7), pp. 3101-3110. (10.4049/jimmunol.1302736) Webber, J.et al. 2014. Proteomics analysis of cancer exosomes using a novel modified aptamer-based array (SOMAscanTM) platform. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 13(4), pp. 1050-1064. (10.1074/mcp.M113.032136) Al-Taei, S.et al. 2013. Decreased HPV-specific T cell responses and accumulation of immunosuppressive influences in oropharyngeal cancer patients following radical therapy. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy 62(12), pp. 1821-1830. (10.1007/s00262-013-1488-5)