Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Real Time PCR (HT7900)
Fluorescent microscope
TMA imaging administrator (Aperio system)
IT officer - Surgical Oncology Group

Qualifications

BSc. (Hons) Applied Chemistry & Biochemistry
MSc. Microbiology & Biotechnology
PhD. Molecular Biology/Cancer Research

Memberships

British Association for Cancer Research (BACR)
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Institute of Biology
Royal Society of Chemistry

Honours and Awards

EAU poster prize 2008

CE Alken prize for urological research 2007

British Prostate Group and British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) section of Oncology poster prize 2005

Research Interests

Ubiquitination of androgen receptor
Aberrant growth factor signalling in prostate cancer
Cancer invasion and metastasis models
Molecular Pathology

Other Expertise

Real Time PCR - gene expression/SNP analysis
Histopathological staining methods
Aperio Virtual pathology and algorithm analysis
Forensic Science Service certified DNA profiler
Web master for the British Prostate Group and European Cancure Project

Postgraduate Supervision

Laboratory supervision of postgraduate students

Current Students
H. Ramsey - Ph.D.

Past Students
K. Sahadevan - MD
I. Smyrnias, P.Zhou, Y.Tan, & S. El-mohidin - MRes
T. Jabbar - MPhil
S. Hill - B.Sc.

Funding

Prostate Cancer Charity
Medical Research Council

• Murphy T, Darby S, Mathers ME, Gnanapragasam VJ. Evidence for distinct alterations in the FGF axis in prostate cancer progression to an aggressive clinical phenotype. Journal of Pathology 2010, 220(4), 452-460.
• Darby S, Murphy T, Thomas H, Robson CN, Leung HY, Mathers ME, Gnanapragasam VJ. Similar expression to FGF (Sef) inhibits fibroblast growth factor-induced tumourigenic behaviour in prostate cancer cells and is downregulated in aggressive clinical disease. British Journal of Cancer 2009, 101(11), 1891-1899.
• Wright PK, May FEB, Darby S, Saif R, Lennard TWJ, Westley BR. Estrogen regulates vesicle trafficking gene expression in EFF-3, EFM-19 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology 2009, 2(5), 463-475.
• Wright PK, May FEB, Darby S, Saif R, Lennard TWJ, Westley BR. Oestrogen regulates vesicle trafficking gene expression in EFF-3, EFM-19 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2009, 2(5), 463-475.
• Rogerson LC, Darby S, Jabbar TA, Mathers ME, Leung HY, Robson CN, Sahadevan K, O'Toole KT, Gnanapragasam VJ. Application of transcript profiling in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded diagnostic prostate cancer needle biopsies. BJU International 2008, 102(3), 364-370.
• Darby S, Cross SS, Brown NJ, Hamdy F, Robson CN. BMP-6 over-expression in prostate cancer is associated with increased Id-1 protein and a more invasive phenotype. Journal of Pathology 2008, 214(3), 394-404.
• Wilkinson S, Kucukmetin A, Cross P, Darby S, Gnanapragasam V, Calvert AH, Robson C, Edmondson RJ. Expression of gonadotrophin releasing hormone receptor I is a favorable prognostic factor in epithelial ovarian cancer. Human Pathology 2008, 39(8), 1197-1204.
• Darby S, Stockley J, Khan M, Robson CN, Leung HY, Gnanapragasam VJ. Expression of GnRH type II is regulated by the androgen receptor in prostate cancer. Endocrine-Related Cancer 2007, 14(3), 613-624.
• Darby S, Stockley J, Edmonson RJ, Robson CN, Leung HY, Gnanapraga VJ. Expression of gonadotrophin releasing hormone type II in prostate cancer is androgen regulated. BJU International 2007, 99(s4), 30-30.
• Sahadevan K, Darby S, Leung HY, Mathers ME, Robson CN, Gnanapragasam VJ. Selective over-expression of fibroblast growth factor receptors 1 and 4 in clinical prostate cancer. Journal of Pathology 2007, 213(1), 82-90.
• Darby, S., Sahadevan, K., Khan, M. M., Robson, C. N., Leung, H. Y., Gnanapragasam, V. J. Loss of Sef (similar expression to FGF) expression is associated with high grade and metastatic prostate cancer. Oncogene 2006, 25(29), 4122-4127.
• Gnanapragasam, V. J., Darby, S., Khan, M. M., Lock, W. G., Robson, C. N., Leung, H. Y. Evidence that prostate gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors mediate an anti-tumourigenic response to analogue therapy in hormone refractory prostate cancer. Journal of Pathology 2005, 206(2), 205-213.
• Dawson DA, Darby S, Hunter FM, Krupa AP, Jones IL, Burke T. A critique of avian CHD-based molecular sexing protocols illustrated by a Z-chromosome polymorphism detected in auklets. Molecular Ecology Notes 2001, 1(3), 201-204.
• Valencia T, Joseph A, Kachroo N, Darby S, Meakin S, Gnanapragasam VJ. Role and expression of FRS2 and FRS3 in prostate cancer. BMC Cancer 2011, 11(1), 484.
• Fearn A, Lisgo S, Darby S, Sheerin NS. The influence of complement activation on chronic renal inflammation and fibrosis. In: Molecular Immunology: 13th European Meeting on Complement in Human Disease. 2011, Leiden, Netherlands: Pergamon.
• Fearn A, Lisgo S, Darby S, Sheerin NS. The influence of complement activation on chronic renal inflammation and fibrosis. In: Renal Association Meeting (Joint with British Renal Society). 2011, Birmingham, UK.