Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Within the NICR I am part of the group involved in keeping the building itself in good running order. As a stand alone building we have to make sure that everything - heating, water supplies, electricity supplies, security and even the fabric of the building - is working correctly and safely. Under our building manager, we have to liaise with everyone in the institute to sort out problems ourselves if we can, or report other problems to the relevent outside departments. My specific job within the institute is to look after and do the day to day running and maintenance of the DI water system. Along with everyone else, I have to place orders for consumables so that experimental research work can continue without hindrance.

Qualifications

B.Sc. in Agricultural Biochemistry and Nutrition
M.Sc. in Immunology

Previous Positions

Feb 2004-present Research Associate, NICR, Paul O'Gorman Building, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Oct 1997-Feb 2004 Research Associate, Paediatric Oncology Unit, Cancer Research Unit, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Oct 1995-Sept 1997 Research Associate, Department of Medical Molecular Biology (Pathology/Medicine), University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Sept 1992-Sept 1995 Theartre Technician, Theatre Royal, Newcastle Playhouse, Live Theatre, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, all at Newcastle upon Tyne and The Maltings Art Centre, Berwick upon Tweed.

May 1988-Aug 1992 Research Technician, Department of Immunology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Nov 1986-April 1988 Junior Research Associate, Department of Pathology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

June 1984-Oct 1986 Junior Research Associate, Department of Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

July 1980-May 1984 Research Technician, Department of Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Oct 1978-June 1980 Research Technician, Department of Agricultural Biochemistry and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Memberships

British Association for Cancer Research

Languages

English
French
BSL

Research Interests

Analysing and sorting mononuclear cells from blood and bone marrow of patients with acute lymphocytic leukaemia using four colour fluorescence on a FACSCalibur and a FACSVantage machine.
Follow-up four colour fluorescence analysis of bone marow samples after the patient has started chemotherapy, to detect minimal residual disease.

Other Expertise

Long term cell culture using antibiotic free medium.
Isolation, fractionation and purification of blood and bone marrow mononulear cells using sucrose density centrifugation.
PCR, RQ-RT-PCR, immuno-PCR.
Isolation of DNA and RNA from pellets of mononulear cells.
Use of a Beckman CEQ 8000 for detecting LOH in sequential patient DNA samples using microsatellite markers.
FISH.
Immunocytochemistry, cryo-imunocytochemistry.
Protein detection using western SDS-PAGE analysis.
ELISA.
Isolation of viable mitrochondria fron cells and their subsequent analysis for changes in membrane potential/permeability and glutathione homeostasis.
Isolation of human thyroid and lymph node cells by mechanical disaggregation and enzyme digestion.
Stable and transient transfection of expression plasmids into mammalian cells in culture.
Generation, cloning and long term maintenance of mouse T lymphocyte clones.
Proliferation assays using 3H-Thymidine uptake and XTT (or MTT) colourimetric assays.
Antigen production and purification from plasmid infected E. coli using affinity chromatography and SDS-PAGE analysis.
Complement mediated cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity using 51Cr labeled thyroid cell monolayers as target cells.
Labeling IgG, IgM, IgA and thyroglobulin with NaI125 for use in radio immunoassays.
Analysis of serum and urine for glucose, lipids, cholesterol, urea, a-amino acid nitrogen and insulin.
Analysis of faeces for protein, lipids, fibre and minerals.

Current Work

Analysis of patient blood and bone marrow using leukaemic cell CD markers. Sorting leukaemic cells from normal cells using FACS machines. Analysing follow-up samples for minimal residual leukaemic disease.

Research Roles

I have responsibilities to look after the day to day running and maintenance of many of the machines in the lab, including the FACS machines, the RQ-RT-PCR machine and the spectrophotometer.
I am involved with day to day teaching and guiding of any student that works in our lab.

Funding

Mitochondrial permeability transition during spontaneous and steroid induced cell death in blasts from children with ALL, 1998 – 1999. £32,200. Hall, A.G., Kearns, P., Case, M.C. Leukaemia Research Fund.

A study of the cytotoxic effect of buthionine sulfoxamine in neuroblastoma, 1998 – 2000. £70,869. Hall, A.G., Case, M.C., Coulthard, S.A., Pearson, A.D.J. Neuroblastoma Society.

Mitochondrial glutathione homeostasis during drug-induced cell death in leukaemic cells, 2000 - 2003. £130,589. Hall, A.G., Case, M.C., McGuckin, A.G. North of England Children's Cancer Research Fund.

Undergraduate Teaching

Whenever students come into the lab for work experience or to carry out final year projects, I am always available to help with lab techniques and general queries about research and experimental work.

Postgraduate Teaching

Whenever post graduate students come into the lab, I am always available to help with lab techniques and general queries about research and experimental work.

• Nicholson L, Knight T, Matheson E, Minto L, Case M, Sanichar M, Bomken S, Vormoor J, Hall A, Irving J. Casitas B lymphoma mutations in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer 2012, 51(3), 250-256.
• Wilson K, Rehe K, Bomken S, Case M, Shultz L, Irving J, Vormoor J. In Childhood ALL, Both Blasts with a CD20(-/Low) and a CD20(High) Immunophenotype, Have the Ability to Transfer the Leukemia Onto Immune-Deficient NOD/Scid Y-/- Mice. In: Blood: 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology. 2008, San Francisco, California, USA: American Society of Hematology.