Dr Erica di Martino

I am a biologist with a strong background in medical genetics and cancer biology. I am interested in the molecular changes that occur whilst a normal cell turns into a cancer cell, and in using this information to develop biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis or new therapies.

My doctoral studies at the University of Leeds focused on identifying biomarkers to predict which patients with Barret’s oesophagus, a pre-neoplastic oesophageal lesion, are more likely to progress and develop oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Subsequently, I have worked on a project aimed at clarifying how mutations in a gene called FGFR3 drive the development of bladder cancer. Overall, my research has detailed the cellular signalling and phenotypic consequences of common activating mutations of FGFR3 found in bladder tumours, and identified key downstream effectors of FGFR3 signalling, which could be used as prognostic or diagnostic markers, or as therapeutic targets in the clinical management of bladder cancer.

I joined CanTest in September 2018.

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Follow Erica on Twitter @EricadiMartino2