My lab at the Babraham Institute is probing how different protein clearance pathways--with a focus on the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy--are integrated to maintain proteome balance ('proteostasis') in healthy cells, and how these disintegrate during ageing and ageing-related diseases, including cancers and neurodegeneration.

We use a multi-disciplinary approach with an emphasis on mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods together with cutting-edge cell and molecular biology tools for probing ubiquitin-mediated protein clearance pathways. By performing studies in a range of model systems—from single-celled budding yeast, to humans—we hope to unravel underlying rules governing proteostasis conserved throughout evolution, development, and ageing.

Our current focus is on the use of drugs targeting the molecular chaperone HSP90—a key regulator of proteostasis—to investigate the plasticity of protein clearance pathways in young, aged, and diseased cells.