Staff Profile

Dr Adriana Buskin is a Research Fellow at Newcastle University within the Translational and Clinical Research Institute and leads the 3Rs Cancer Research Lab. Her research focuses on prostate cancer biology, with particular emphasis on developing human-relevant preclinical models to study disease progression and therapy resistance.

Her work addresses how tissue organisation and signalling context influence tumour behaviour and treatment response. She uses induced pluripotent stem cell and organoid systems to model prostate development and cancer in genetically defined and experimentally tractable settings. By integrating stem cell biology, genome engineering, advanced imaging, and transcriptomic approaches, her research aims to dissect the cellular and molecular mechanisms that shape tumour behaviour.

A central theme of her current research is therapy resistance in advanced prostate cancer, including investigation of the primary cilium as a regulator of cellular signalling and drug sensitivity. This work seeks to improve the biological relevance and predictive value of preclinical cancer models, while supporting responsible research practices that reduce reliance on animal experimentation.

Dr Buskin is an NC3Rs Research Fellow and a recipient of the Prostate Cancer UK Career Acceleration Fellowship. Her research is carried out in close collaboration with academic, clinical, and industry partners, with the aim of generating mechanistic insight that is relevant to patient disease.

Further information is available at:

https://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/adrianabuskin/

The research of the 3Rs Cancer Research Lab focuses on understanding prostate cancer biology and therapy resistance using human-relevant preclinical models.

Current research themes include:

Human stem cell and organoid models of prostate cancer: development of induced pluripotent stem cell and patient-derived organoid systems to model prostate development, tumour initiation, and disease progression in genetically defined contexts.

Mechanisms of therapy resistance in advanced prostate cancer: investigation of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to androgen-targeted therapies, with particular interest in the role of the primary cilium as a regulator of signalling and treatment response.

Genome engineering and functional perturbation approaches: use of genome editing strategies to interrogate the contribution of cancer-associated genetic alterations to epithelial organisation, signalling pathways, and drug sensitivity.

Improving the translational relevance of preclinical cancer research: development of predictive, scalable human-relevant models that support responsible research practices and reduce reliance on animal experimentation.

Prospective students and collaborators with interests aligned to these areas are welcome to make contact.

Teaching

Dr Buskin contributes to postgraduate teaching within the Faculty of Medical Sciences, with teaching closely aligned to her research in stem cell biology, organoid models, and translational cancer research.

She has contributed to postgraduate modules including:

• Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (MMB8022)
• Therapeutic Applications of Cell Signalling Pathways (MMB8050)
• Developmental Genetics (MMB8031)

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Buskin supervises postgraduate research students across PhD, MSc, MRes, and MPharm programmes. She is currently the primary supervisor for a PhD student (2025–2028) and supervises MSc Bioinformatics and MRes research projects focused on prostate cancer biology, organoid-based disease modelling, and functional genomics.

She also contributes to doctoral training through co-supervision and collaborative supervision, including co-supervision of a PhD student and the supervision of visiting PhD students from UK and international institutions.

Her approach to supervision prioritises careful experimental design, critical thinking, and the development of independence as a researcher.

• Articles

  • Garnham R, Geh D, Nelson R, Ramon-Gil E, Wilson L, Schmidt EN, Walker L, Adamson B, Buskin A, Hepburn AC, Hodgson K, Kendall H, Frame FM, Maitland N, Coffey K, Strand DW, Robson CN, Elliott DJ, Heer R, Macauley M, Munkley J, Gaughan L, Leslie J, Scott E. ST3 beta-galactoside alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase 1 (ST3Gal1) synthesis of Siglec ligands mediates anti-tumour immunity in prostate cancer. Communications Biology 2024, 7(1), 276.
  • Scott E, Archer Goode E, Garnham R, Hodgson K, Orozco-Moreno M, Turner H, Livermore K, Putri Nangkana K, Frame FM, Bermudez A, Garcia Marques FJ, McClurg UL, Wilson L, Thomas H, Buskin A, Hepburn A, Duxfield A, Bastian K, Pye H, Arredondo HM, Hysenaj G, Heavey S, Stopka-Farooqui U, Haider A, Freeman A, Singh S, Johnston EW, Punwani S, Knight B, McCullagh P, McGrath J, Crundwell M, Harries L, Heer R, Maitland NJ, Whitaker H, Pitteri S, Troyer DA, Wang N, Elliott DJ, Drake RR, Munkley J. ST6GAL1-mediated aberrant sialylation promotes prostate cancer progression. Journal of Pathology 2023, 261(1), 71-84.
  • Singh P, Lanman NA, Kendall HLR, Wilson L, Long R, Franco OE, Buskin A, Miles CG, Hayward SW, Heer R, Robson CN. Human prostate organoid generation and the identification of prostate development drivers using inductive rodent tissues. Development 2023, 150(13), dev201328.
  • Georgiou M, YAng C, Atkinson R, Pan K, Buskin A, Molina M, Collin C, Alaama J, Goertler F, Ludwig S, Davey T, Luhrmann R, Grellscheid S, Johnson C, Ali R, Armstring L, Korolchuk V, Urlaub H, Mozzafari J, LAko M. Activation of autophagy reverses progressive and deleterious protein aggregation in PRPF31 patient iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells. Clinical and Translational Medicine 2022, 12(3), e759.
  • Sims CHC, Autio MI, Buskin A, Cheung C, Heer R, Foo RSY, Wang X. Modified CRISPR/Cas9 mediated generation of two MKK7 knockout human embryonic stem cell lines. Stem Cell Research 2021, 52, 102238.
  • Hepburn AC, Curry EL, Moad M, Steele RE, Franco OE, Wilson L, Singh P, Buskin A, Crawford SE, Gaughan L, Mills IG, Hayward SW, Robson CN, Heer R. Propagation of human prostate tissue from induced pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2020, 9(7), 734-745.
  • Brydon EM, Bronstein R, Buskin A, Lako M, Pierce EA, Fernandez-Godino R. AAV-Mediated Gene Augmentation Therapy Restores Critical Functions in Mutant PRPF31+/− iPSC-Derived RPE Cells. Molecular Therapy - Methods and Clinical Development 2019, 15, 392-402.
  • Buskin A, Zhu L, Chichagova V, Basu B, Mozaffari-Jovin S, Dolan D, Droop A, Collin J, Bronstein V, Mehrotra S, Farkas M, Hilgen G, White K, Pan KT, Treumann A, Hallam D, Bialas K, Chung G, Mellough C, Ding Y, Krasnogor N, Pryzborski S, Zwolinski S, Alharthi S, Al-Aama J, Xu Y, Wheway G, Szymanska K, McKibbin M, Inglehearn CF, Elliott DJ, Lindsay S, Ali R, Steel DH, Armstrong L, Sernagor E, Urlaub H, Pierce E, Luehrmann R, Grellscheid SN, Johnson CA, Lako M. Disrupted alternative splicing for genes implicated in splicing and ciliogenesis causes PRPF31 retinitis pigmentosa. Nature Communications 2018, 9, 4234.
  • Chichagova V, Hallam D, Collin J, Buskin A, Saretzki G, Armstrong L, Yu-Wai-Man P, Lako M, Steel DH. Human iPSC disease modelling reveals functional and structural defects in retinal pigment epithelial cells harbouring the m.3243A>G mitochondrial DNA mutation. Scientific Reports 2017, 7, 12320.
  • Hallam D, Collin j, Bojic S, Chichagova V, Buskin A, Xu Y, Lafage L, Otten EG, Anyfantis G, Mellough C, Przyboski S, Alhart S, Korolchuk V, Lotery A, Saretzki G, McKibbin M, Armstrong L, Steel D, Kavanagh D, Lako M. An iPSC patient specific model of CFH (Y402H) polymorphism displays characteristic features of AMD and indicates a beneficial role for UV light exposure. Stem Cells 2017, 35(11), 2305-2320.
  • Neganova I, Tilgner K, Buskin A, Paraskevopoulou I, Atkinson SP, Peberdy D, Passos JF, Lako M. CDK1 plays an important role in the maintenance of pluripotency and genomic stability in human pluripotent stem cells. Cell Death and Disease 2014, 5, e1508.
  • Silva IHF, Barbosa AG, Azevedo DA, Sanchez-Diz P, Gusmao L, Tavares CC, Carvalho EF, Silva LAF. An X-chromosome pentaplex in two linkage groups: haplotype data in Alagoas and Rio de Janeiro populations from Brazil. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2010.
  • Barbosa A, Silva LAF, Azevedo DA, Balbino VQ, Mauricio-da-Silva L. Mitochondrial DNA control region polymorphism in the population of Alagoas state, north-eastern Brazil. J Forensic Sci 2008. In Preparation.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)

  • O'Donnell RL, Murray JCC, Buskin AGB, Frame S, Blake DG, Dixon M, McCormick A, Kaufmann A, Plummer ER, Edmondson RJ, Curtin NJ. Therapeutic potential of sapacitabine in ovarian cancers defective in homologous recombination. In: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH. 2013, 615 CHESTNUT ST, 17TH FLOOR, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106-4404 USA: AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH.

• Reviews

  • Buskin A, Scott E, Nelson R, Gaughan L, Robson CN, Heer R, Hepburn AC. Engineering prostate cancer in vitro: what does it take?. Oncogene 2023, 42, 2417–2427.
  • Buskin A, Singh P, Lorenz O, Robson C, Strand DW, Heer R. A Review of Prostate Organogenesis and a Role for iPSC-Derived Prostate Organoids to Study Prostate Development and Disease. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2022, 22(23), 13097.
  • Hepburn AC, Sims CHC, Buskin A, Heer R. Engineering Prostate Cancer from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-New Opportunities to Develop Preclinical Tools in Prostate and Prostate Cancer Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2020, 21(3), 905.