Inducing apoptosis in colorectal & ovarian cancers
Oncology research at University of Huddersfield
Dr. Farideh Javid commenced her research at the University of Huddersfield in 2008 as a Senior Lecturer and is currently Reader in Pharmacology. Her primary interest is in identifying novel compounds that originated from natural products, plants, or synthetics for combating diseases, in particular cancer.
Her academic pursuits focus on drug discovery inducing apoptosis in colorectal and ovarian cancers, among others. She has collaborated with major pharma companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and GW Pharmaceuticals, holding several patents on the anti-cancer effects of non-psychoactive cannabinoids.
Challenges
The main challenge to Dr. Javid and her team lies in establishing the precise involvement and interaction between central and peripheral cannabinoids and other peptidergic systems relevant to therapeutic advances in gastrointestinal and gynecological disorders.
In their work, Dr. Javid’s team uses assays for apoptosis and cell cycle analysis to determine the effect of potential drugs under investigation. The accuracy of the readout determines which drug candidates to pursue in further investigations as potential drugs to fight gastrointestinal and ovarian cancers.
In their drug screening, accuracy of data, reliability of analytical instruments, assay and readout speeds, little maintenance or calibration time, and ease of use for instrumentation and equipment are all key factors that support faster and better drug screens. Translation of the research into clinical applications for patient benefit is ever motivating to Dr. Javid and her team.
User commentary
“Following a presentation by colleagues from ChemoMetec, we found the NC-3000™ provides a fast, reliable and user-friendly device to investigate the mechanisms of apoptosis. The use of this equipment saves a lot of time and effort and enables us to generate large data files in a very short period of time. Running multiple assays requiring only a single equipment source is also very cost-effective, particularly when fundings are limited.”
Dr. Farideh Javid, Reader in Pharmacology
Learn more about the University of Huddersfield lab.