Staff Profile

Roles and Responsibilities

Senior Lecturer and Consultant Medical Oncology - Specialising in early phase clinical trial development/delivery and gynaecological malignancies
Deputy ECMC lead
Member of NCRI Endometrial Cancer Clinical Studies sub-group
Member of NCRI Ovarian Cancer Clinical Studies sub-group
Research Lead for Gynae-oncology Trials
Supervision of Undergraduate, MRes and Postgraduate students
Member of the Teaching and Training Committee NICR

Qualifications

FRCP (London) 2018
MBBS (Newcastle University with Merit) 1997
MRCP (London) 2001
PhD (Newcastle University) 2011

Area of expertise

Early phase clinical trials, targeting the DNA damage response
Gynaecological cancers

Research Interests

My Research areas are: the development of novel treatments for gynaecological malignancies by both clinical/translational and laboratory based research in particular the exploitation of targeting DNA damage response and repair pathways. I am also involved in the development and delivery of early phase clinical trials including first-in-human studies. This is delivered through my role as deputy lead of the Newcastle Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre

Esteem Indicators

Active member of National Clinical Studies sub-groups for both endometrial and ovarian cancer

Regional Research Lead for Gynaeoncology Clinical Trials

Lead for Regional Medical Oncology Germline BRCA testing 

Reviewer for the following journals: British Journal of Cancer, Nature Reviews Oncology, Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology

Funding

Cancer Research UK

MRC Case PhD Studentship

AstraZeneca PhD Studentship

JGWP

Memberships

Association of Cancer Physicians

American Society of Clinical Oncology

Teaching

MRes in Medical and Molecular Biosciences (MMS8007: Cancer Studies)

MSc Medical Sciences (MMS8101: Research Practice in the 21st Century; MMS8107: Cancer Studies)

• Mukhopadhyay A, Drew Y, Matheson E, Salehan M, Gentles L, Pachter JA, Curtin NJ. Evaluating the potential of kinase inhibitors to suppress DNA repair and sensitise ovarian cancer cells to PARP inhibitors. Biochemical Pharmacology 2019, 167, 125-132.
• Gentles L, Goranov B, Matheson E, Herriott A, Kaufmann A, Hall S, Mukhopadhyay A, Drew Y, Curtin NJ, O'Donnell RL. Exploring the frequency of Homologous Recombination DNA Repair Dysfunction in Multiple Cancer Types. Cancers 2019, 11(3), 354.
• Hong DS, Concin N, Vergote I, de Bono JS, Slomovitz BM, Drew Y, Arkenau HT, Machiels JP, Spicer JF, Jones R, Forster MD, Cornez N, Gennigens C, Johnson ML, Thistlethwaite FC, Rangwala RA, Ghatta S, Windfeld K, Harris JR, Lassen UN, Coleman RL. Tisotumab Vedotin in previously treated recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer. New England Journal of Medicine 2019. Submitted.
• Drew Y, de Jonge M, Hong SH, Park YH, Wolfer A, Brown J, Ferguson M, Gore ME, Alvarez RH, Gresty C, Angell H, Meyer K, Learoyd M, Tang M, Lanasa M, Herbolsheimer P, Domchek SM. An open-label, phase II basket study of olaparib and durvalumab (MEDIOLA): Results in gremlin BRCA-mutated (gBRCAm) platinum-sensitive relapsed (PSR) ovarian cancer (OC). In: 49th Annual Meeting of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. 2018, New Orleans, US: Elsevier.
• Franklin M, Gentles L, Matheson E, Bown N, Cross P, Ralte A, Gilkes-Immeson C, Bradbury A, Zanjirband M, Lunec J, Drew Y, O'Donnell R, Curtin NJ. Characterization and drug sensitivity of a novel human overian clear cell carcinoma cell line genomically and phenotypically similar to the original tumor. Cancer Medicine 2018, 7(9), 4744-4754.
• Fordham SE, Blair HJ, Elstob CJ, Plummer R, Drew Y, Curtin NJ, Heidenreich O, Pal D, Jamieson D, Park C, Pollard J, Fields S, Milne P, Jackson GH, Marr HJ, Menne T, Jones GJ, Allan JM. Inhibition of ATR acutely sensitises acute myeloid leukemia cells to nucleoside analogs that target ribonucleotide reductase. Blood Advances 2018, 2(10), 1157-1169.
• Kristeleit K, Shapiro GI, Howard HA, Oza AM, LoRusso P, Patel MR, Domchek SM, Balmaña J, Drew Y, Chen L, Safra T, Montes A, Giordano H, Maloney L, Goble S, Isaacson J, Xiao J, Borrow J, Rolfe L, Shapira-Frommer R. A phase I-II study of the oral PARP inhibitor Rucaparib in patients with germline BRCA1/2-mutated ovarian carcinoma or other solid tumours. Clinical Cancer Research 2017, 23(15), 4095-4106.
• Patterson MJ, Drew Y, Curtin NJ. PARP. In: Cancer Therapeutic Targets. New York: Springer, 2017, pp.913-934.
• Rundle S, Bradbury A, Drew Y, Curtin NJ. Targeting the ATR-CHK1 Axis in Cancer Therapy. Cancers 2017, 9(5), 41.
• Jamieson D, Griffin MJ, Sludden J, Drew Y, Cresti N, Swales K, Merriman M, Allen R, Bevan P, Buerkle M, Mala C, Coyle V, Rodgers L, Dean E, Greystoke A, Banerji U, Wilson RH, Evans TRJ, Anthoney A, Ranson M, Boddy AV, Plummer R. A phase I pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of the oral mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor, WX-554, in patients with advanced solid tumours. European Journal of Cancer 2016, 68, 1-10.
• Ledermann JA, Drew Y, Kristeleit RS. Homologous recombination deficiency and ovarian cancer. European Journal of Cancer 2016, 60, 49-58.
• Abdulrahman GO, Davison E, Matheson E, Drew Y, Curtin N, Mukhopadhyay A. Investigating PARP inhibitor sensitisation by hyperthermia and HSP90 inhibition. In: 16th Biennial Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. 2016, Lisbon, Portugal: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Ltd.
• Drew Y, Ledermann J, Hall G, Rea D, Glasspool R, Highley M, Jayson G, Sludden J, Murray J, Jamieson D, Halford S, Acton G, Backholer Z, Mangano R, Boddy A, Curtin N, Plummer R. Phase 2 multicentre trial investigating intermittent and continuous dosing schedules of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor rucaparib in germline BRCA mutation carriers with advanced ovarian and breast cancer. British Journal of Cancer 2016, 114(7), 723-730.
• Matheson E, Salehan M, Mukhopadhyay A, Curtin NJ, Drew Y. Preclinical studies of the PARP inhibitor olaparib in combination with imatinib in BRCA stratified ovarian cancer. In: 16th Biennial Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society. 2016, Lisbon, Portugal: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Ltd.
• Roda D, Drew Y, Azaro A, Smith AD, Greystoke A, Sicart E, Escriba PV, Busquets X, Llado V, Tur V, Klumper E, Ahnert JR, Molife LR, Plummer R. A first-in-human dose-escalation study of the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of oral 2-hydroxyoleic acid (2-OHOA) in adult patients (pt) with advanced solid tumors including grade III/IV glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In: 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. 2015, Chicago, Illinois, USA: American Society of Clinical Oncology.
• Shapira-Frommer R, Oza A, Domchek SM, Balmana J, Patel MR, Chen LM, Drew Y, Burris HA, Korach J, Flynn M, Bowering VL, Morgan MA, Watkins SP, Simpson D, Goble S, Maloney L, Kristeleit R. A Phase 2 open-label, multicenter study of single-agent rucaparib in the treatment of patients with relapsed ovarian cancer and a deleterious BRCA mutation. In: European Cancer Congress 2015. 2015, Vienna, Austria: Elsevier.
• Shapira-Frommer R, Oza AM, Domchek SM, Balmana J, Patel MR, Chen LM, Drew Y, Burris HA, Korach J, Flynn M, Bowering VL, Morgan MA, Watkins SP, Simpson D, Goble S, Maloney L, Kristeleit RS. A phase II open-label, multicenter study of single-agent rucaparib in the treatment of patients with relapsed ovarian cancer and a deleterious BRCA mutation. In: 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting. 2015, Chicago, Illinois, USA: American Society of Clinical Oncology.
• Drew Y. The development of PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer: from bench to bedside. British Journal of Cancer 2015, 113, S3-S9.
• Plummer R, Dua D, Cresti N, Suder A, Drew Y, Prathapan V, Stephens P, Thornton JK, de las Heras B, Ink B, Lee L, Matijevic M, McGrath S, Sarker D. Phase 1 study of the PARP inhibitor E7449 as a single agent in patients with advanced solid tumors or B-cell lymphoma. In: 39th ESMO Congress. 2014, Madrid, Spain: Oxford University Press.
• Coupe N, Roxburgh P, Drew Y, Molife LR, Wilson R, Spicer J, Gupta A, Simpson D, Giordano H, Plummer R. A Phase 1 Study of Oral or Intravenous Rucaparib in Combination in Combination with Platinum-Containing Chemotherapeutic Regimens: Analysis of Patients with Ovarian or Peritoneal Tumors. In: 18th International Meeting of the European Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO). 2013, Liverpool, UK: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Molife LR, Roxburgh P, Wilson RH, Gupta A, Middleton MR, Evans TRJ, Michie CO, Mateo J, Crawford D, Eatock MM, Saka W, Cresti N, Drew Y, Giordano H, Despain D, Simpson D, Allen AR, Jaw-Tsai SS, Plummer R. A phase I study of oral rucaparib in combination with carboplatin. In: 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting. 2013, Chicago, Illinois, USA: American Society of Clinical Oncology.
• Goranov BB, Drew Y, Graham J, Iqbal MS, Kagzi M, Mahtab N, Pearson R, Smith E, Mulvenna P. Academic opportunities within clinical oncology training. Clinical Oncology 2013, 25(7), 446-446.
• Massard C, Margetts J, Amellal N, Drew Y, Bahleda R, Stevens P, Armand JP, Calvert H, Soria JC, Coronado C, Kahatt C, Alfaro V, Siguero M, Fernandez-Teruel C, Plummer R. Phase I study of PM00104 (Zalypsis (R)) administered as a 1-hour weekly infusion resting every fourth week in patients with advanced solid tumors. Investigational New Drugs 2013, 31(3), 623-630.
• Gupta A, Moreno V, Dean EJ, Drew Y, Nicum S, Ranson M, Plummer R, Swaisland H, Burke W, McCormack P, Tchakov I, Middleton MR, Kaye SB, Molife LR. Phase I study to determine the bioavailability and tolerability of a tablet formulation of the PARP inhibitor olaparib in patients with advanced solid tumors: Dose-escalation phase. In: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2012, 2318 MILL ROAD, STE 800, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 USA: AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY.
• Molife LR, Mateo J, McGoldrick T, Krebs M, Drew Y, Banerjee SN, Nicum S, Ranson M, Rustin GJS, Sessa C, Plummer R, Leunen K, Friedlander M, Swaisland H, Burke W, McCormack P, Pemberton K, Tchakov I, Kaye SB, Gourley C. Safety and efficacy results from two randomized expansions of a phase I study of a tablet formulation of the PARP inhibitor, olaparib, in ovarian and breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. In: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2012, 2318 MILL ROAD, STE 800, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22314 USA: AMER SOC CLINICAL ONCOLOGY.
• Drew Y, Mulligan EA, Vong W, Thomas HD, Kahn S, Kyle S, Mukhopadhyay A, Los G, Hostomsky Z, Plummer ER, Edmondson RJ, Curtin NJ. Therapeutic Potential of Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor AG014699 in Human Cancers With Mutated or Methylated BRCA1 or BRCA2. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2011, 103(4), 334-346.
• Daniel RA, Rozanska AL, Mulligan EA, Drew Y, Thomas HD, Castelbuono DJ, Hostomsky Z, Plummer ER, Tweddle DA, Boddy AV, Clifford SC, Curtin NJ. Central nervous system penetration and enhancement of temozolomide activity in childhood medulloblastoma models by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor AG-014699. British Journal of Cancer 2010, 103(10), 1588-1596.
• Mukhopadhyay A, Elattar A, Cerbinskaite A, Wilkinson SJ, Drew Y, Kyle S, Los G, Hostomsky Z, Edmondson RJ, Curtin NJ. Development of a functional assay for homologous recombination status in primary cultures of epithelial ovarian tumor and correlation with sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors. Clinical Cancer Research 2010, 16(8), 2344-2351.
• Drew Y, Plummer R. The emerging potential of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer. Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology 2010, 22(1), 67-71.
• Daniel RA, Rozanska AL, Thomas HD, Mulligan EA, Drew Y, Castelbuono DJ, Hostomsky Z, Plummer ER, Boddy AV, Tweddle DA, Curtin NJ, Clifford SC. Inhibition of Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1 Enhances Temozolomide and Topotecan Activity against Childhood Neuroblastoma. Clinical Cancer Research 2009, 15(4), 1241-1249.
• Drew Y, Plummer R. PARP inhibitors in cancer therapy: Two modes of attack on the cancer cell widening the clinical applications. Drug Resistance Updates 2009, 12(6), 153-156.