Nyemahame Emenike Owku

• BSc (Hons) Biochemistry
• The effects of Usp12 on different isoforms of Androgen Receptor in prostate cancer.

Many prostate cancer patients will develop castration resistant disease. To develop novel therapies we need to understand the regulation of cell death pathways. One of the systems involved in degrading proteins that regulate cell death is called the ubiquitination system. It attaches a ubiquitin label onto proteins and as a result they can be destroyed, it can also be reversed and proteins are instead stabilised. We are interested in enzymes that control the ubiquitination of regulatory proteins. Our findings may present an opportunity to develop drugs to target the ubiquitination process in advanced cancer where traditional anti-androgen therapies have failed.

Funding source: Newcastle University