People

Biography
I completed my undergraduate studies in Biology at Aberystwyth University. Following this, I studied for an MSc in Medical Parasitology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where I developed an interest in malaria. For my MSc summer project, I studied the origins of cerebral vasoconstriction in cerebral malaria patients from Meghalaya, India.  In 2018, I joined the group as a PhD student. My project aims to characterise several Plasmodium falciparum transition metal ion transporters. Transition metals such as iron, copper and zinc are essential to many enzymatic processes, yet become toxic at high concentrations. Transition metal homeostasis, which is regulated by membrane transporters, is therefore essential to the survival of the parasite. This makes these transporters attractive drug targets for malaria.

Email: p1805558@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography

After I obtained my B.Sc in Biochemistry from Queen’s University Belfast I worked for Abbott Ireland Diagnostics Division as a diagnostic technologist. I left Abbott Ireland and returned to Queen’s University to work as a Research Technician in the virology department. From working here I decided I wanted to continue working in research. I joined the parasitology department at Queen’s as a Ph.D student, focusing on developing a new system for screening inhibitors to treat parasitic infections. The project involved molecular parasitology, biochemistry and heterologous expression in yeast. I was funded by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. After completing my Ph.D project I started working at City St George’s University of London and a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the department of Clinical Sciences. I am currently working on the Nanomal project (www.nanomal.org). This project is funded by the European Union.

Key publications
Moore, C.M., Hoey, E.M., Trudgett, A., and Timson, D.J., 2011. Artemisinins act through at least two targets in a yeast model. FEMS Yeast Research, 11, pp. 233–237 Moore, C.M., Hoey, E.M., Trudgett, A., and Timson, D.J., 2012. Characterisation of a plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA) from the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica. International Journal for Parasitology. 42 (9), pp. 851-858.

Tel: + 44 (0) 208 725 5798

Email: cmoore@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography

After I completed my Biochemistry degree in Bristol, during which I did an intercalated year at GlaxoSmithKline, I went on to study for an MSc in the Molecular Biology and Pathology of Viruses at Imperial College London. As I was interested in immunology and virology I chose to do a PhD at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where I worked on a viral protein (U83 chemokine) that modulates the human immune response to infections with HHV-6 which in infants causes Roseola; also known as exanthema subitum. The work involved studying cells whose migration and behaviour was effected by the viral chemokine. As a specific immune modulator, the viral chemokine had possible applications as a therapeutic for multiple sclerosis and/or HIV. After my PhD I spent one year in the University of California San Diego studying chemokines involved in autoimmune disorders. I returned to the UK and joined this group as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant where I am studying the immune response of vaccinees to a novel vaccine for combating the Ebola virus. The investigation is part of VEBCON (VSV‐EBola CONsortium) and is funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

Key publications

Dodd J.S., Clark D., Muir R., Korpis C., Openshaw P.J., 2013
Endogenous IL-21 regulates pathogenic mucosal CD4 T-cell responses during enhanced RSV disease in mice.
Mucosal Immunol. 2013 Jul;6(4):704-17.

Clark D.J., Catusse J., Stacey A., Borrow P., Gompels U.A., 2013
Activation of CCR2+ human proinflammatory monocytes by human herpesvirus-6B chemokine N-terminal peptide. J Gen Virol. 2013 Jul;94(Pt 7):1624-35.

Tel: +44 (0) 208 725 3474

Email: daclark@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography
I am an experienced Administrative Coordinator who supports the conduct of clinical trials to cGCP standards as well as undertaking wider project management. This includes organising meetings, maintaining appropriate records (financial and scientific) related to projects and assisting in the preparation of reports.  I also coordinate activities between SGUL and partners and I am fully conversant in financial aspects of project management and database technologies. I am trained as a nurse in Szigetvar (Hungary) after obtaining a scholarship from the Soros foundation.

Publications
Sanjeev Krishna, Senthil Ganapathi, Irina Chis Ster, Mohamed E.M. Saeed, Matt Cowan, Caroline Finlayson, Hajnalka Kovacsevics, Herwig Jansen,Peter G. Kremsner, Thomas Efferth, Devinder Kumar.

A Randomised, Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study of Oral Artesunate Therapy for Colorectal Cancer. 15th Nov 2014, EBioMedicine 2 (2015) 82–90, PMID: 26137537

Tel: + 44 (0) 208 725 0446

Email: hkovacse@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography
Following a BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Kent at Canterbury, I studied for a DPhil in Cellular Physiology at the University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford. During this time and my initial postdoctoral years, I examined the transport mechanisms used by the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to obtain nutrients and export waste products while developing within human red blood cells. During a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship (2005–09), I studied transport mechanisms in a wider range of unicellular parasites. Now, I have developed interest point-of-care diagnostics for malaria, which also aims to diagnose drug resistance in the parasite. This has led to translation of scientific studies (some that I have been involved with myself) to patient care and has provided me with great experience in managing (with others) a complex EU project like Nanomal.

Key publications
H. M. Staines, S. Ashmore, H. Felgate, J. Moore, T. Powell and J. C. Ellory (2006). Solute transport via the new permeability pathways inPlasmodium falciparum-infected human red blood cells is not consistent with a simple single channel model. Blood, 108, 3187-3194

H. M. Staines, T. Powell, J. C. Ellory, S. Egée, F. Lapaix, G. Decherf, S. L. Y. Thomas, C. Duranton, F. Lang and S. M. Huber (2003). Modulation of whole-cell currents in Plasmodium falciparum-infected human red blood cells by holding potential and serum. J. Physiol., 552, 177-183

H. M. Staines, J. C. Ellory and K. Kirk (2001). Perturbation of the pump-leak balance for Na+ and K+ in malaria-infected erythrocytes. Am. J. Physiol., 280, C1576-C1587

Tel: +44 (0) 208 725 5722

Email: hstaines@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography
After completing my apprenticeship as a medical assistant in the laboratory at the University hospital in Münster, Germany, I went on to my undergraduate studies at the Technical University Berlin. For my final project I investigated interaction partners of the heart potassium channels KCNE5 and KCNE2. I graduated with a BSc. in Biotechnology and continued further with a MSc. at the TU Berlin. During my masters I had the opportunity to deepen my knowledge working as a student assistant at the Research Center ImmunoScience, Charité Berlin. Currently I am part of a project in this group characterising malarial parasite (P. falciparum) transport proteins in as part of my Master Thesis.  I am using a heterologous expression system; expressing Plasmodium proteins in yeast.

Key publications
Proteasome inhibitor bortezomib enhances the effect of standard chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer.Taromi S, Lewens F, Arsenic R, Sedding D, Sänger J, Kunze A, Möbs M, Benecke J, Freitag H, Christen F, Kaemmerer D, Lupp A, Heilmann M, Lammert H, Schneider CP, Richter K, Hummel M, Siegmund B, Burger M, Briest F, Grabowski P. Oncotarget. 2017 Sep 23;8(57):97061-97078. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.21221. eCollection 2017 Nov 14.PMID: 29228593 Free PMC Article

Mechanisms of targeting the MDM2-p53-FOXM1 axis in well-differentiated intestinal neuroendocrine tumors. Briest F, Grass I, Sedding D, Möbs M, Christen F, Benecke J, Fuchs K, Kaemmerer D, Mende S, Sänger J, Kunze A, Geisler C, Freitag H, Lewens F, Worpenberg L, Iwaszkiewicz S, Siegmund B, Walther W, Hummel M, Grabowski P. Neuroendocrinology. 2017 Sep 14. doi: 10.1159/000481506. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 28910819

Biography
I completed my medical degree in 2004 from University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur and completed my foundation training at University Malaya Medical Centre.  I continued with my training as a Medical Officer (Junior Doctor) in Anaesthesiology at a public hospital in Selangor state in Malaysia before moving to the UK in 2007. I now work as a Clinical Research Programme Coordinator for NeoART trial on a part-time basis and a Programme Coordinator for a Malaysian-UK Bilateral Medical Initiatives, (SUMMIT). My interest is digital health, Global Health, particularly in women’s health and affordable diagnostics.

Email: nmatali@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography

After completing my BSc in Zoology at the University of Salford, I studied for an MSc in molecular parasitology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Here, I developed my interest in tropical infectious diseases and their impact on human health. I was particularly interested in malaria and carried out a project looking at the role of cytokines on the interaction between host endothelial cells and Plasmodium infected red blood cells. After graduating, I spent a year working in industry at AstraZeneca. Here, I worked in a virology research team looking at how ferret models can help drive predictive seasonal influenza strains for their manufactured flu vaccine for children. I moved to London to carry out a PhD here at City St Georges. My project focuses on the development of novel molecular diagnostics for patients with acute febrile illness in resource-limited settings. Diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika cause a broad range of overlapping signs and symptoms which often get misdiagnosed and incorrectly treated. The project aims to capitalise on the use of point-of-care PCR diagnostics to accurately differentiate these infections in a timely manner and ensure patients are treated correctly and drug resistance is mitigated.

Biography
I am a PhD student, evaluating the mechanisms of drug resistance in leukaemia emphasising on the metabolic symbiotic nature of the malignant cells and to target them therapeutically under the guidance of Prof.Vikram Mathews, CMC, India. I joined Prof. Krishna's laboratory as newton-Bhabha PhD Placement student to evaluate the anti cancer potential of artemisinins in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents and also to identify the pleiotropic effects of antimalarials mechanistically by employing proteomic and metabolomics approaches.

Key publications
Metabolic Rewiring Drives Resistance to Arsenic Trioxide in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Nithya Balasundaram, Saravanan Ganesan, Hamenth Kumar Palani, Ansu Abu Alex, Sachin David, Anu Korula, Biju George, Christine Chomienne, Poonkuzhali Balasubramanian, Vikram Mathews. Blood Dec 2016, 128 (22) 3956; American Society of Haematology 2016

Arsenic Trioxide Enhances the NK Cell Cytotoxicity Against Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia While Simultaneously Inhibiting Its Bio-Genesis. Ansu Abu Alex, Saravanan Ganesan, Hamenth Kumar Palani, Nithya Balasundaram, Sachin David, Kavitha M. Lakshmi, Uday P. Kulkarni, P. N. Nisham, Anu Korula, Anup J. Devasia, Nancy Beryl Janet, Aby Abraham, Alok Srivastava,,Biju George, Rose Ann Padua, Christine Chomienne, Poonkuzhali Balasubramanian,and Vikram Mathews. Front Immunol. 2018; 9: 1357.

Rationale and efficacy of proteasome inhibitor combined with arsenic trioxide in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. S Ganesan, A A Alex, E Chendamarai, N Balasundaram, H K Palani, S David, U Kulkarni, M Aiyaz, R Mugasimangalam, A Korula, A Abraham, A Srivastava, R A Padua, C Chomienne, B George, P Balasubramanian & V Mathews Leukemia volume 30, pages 2169–2178 (2016)

Group Leader

Biography

I am Professor of Molecular Parasitology and Medicine at City St George's University of London. After completing a degree at Cambridge and medical degree at Oxford, I studied malaria in Thailand before completing a DPhil at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford. I joined St George’s in 2000. I was an MRC Training Fellow and Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Clinical Science (1994–2001). I was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2004 and awarded an ScD by the University of Cambridge in 2007. I am also an honorary consultant physician in infectious disease and medicine at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I have been an advisor to multiple international bodies, including the World Health Organisation, and have sat on advisory committees for WHO and major international funders including the US National Institutes of Health, the UK’s Wellcome Trust and others. I chair the Infectious Disease Advisory Committee of QuantuMDx and I am an advisor to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a not-for-profit organisation promoting the development of new diagnostic tools for resource-poor countries. I also have strong industrial contacts, and have acted as scientific advisor to several large pharmaceutical companies and biotech firms. 

Key publications

Krishna S et al. A family of cation ATPase-like molecules from Plasmodium falciparum. J Cell Biol. 1993;120:385–98. PMID: 8421054

ter Kuile F, White NJ, Holloway PAH, Pasvol G, Krishna S. Pharmacodynamic properties of drugs used for the treatment of severe malaria assessed in vitro. Exp Parasitol. 1993;76:85–95. PMID: 8467901

Krishna S et al. Lactic acidosis and hypoglycaemia in severe malaria: pathophysiological and prognostic significance. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 1994;88:67–73. PMID: 8154008

Woodrow CJ, Penny JI, Krishna S. Intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum expresses a high-affinity facilitative hexose transporter. J Biol Chem. 1999;274: 7272–7. PMID: 10066789

Joët T, Eckstein-Ludwig U, Morin C, Krishna S. The hexose transporter of Plasmodium falciparum is a novel drug target. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2003;100:7476–9. PMID: 12792024

Eckstein-Ludwig U et al. Artemisinins target the SERCA of Plasmodium falciparum. Nature.2003;424:957–61. PMID: 12931192

Price RN et al. Mefloquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum and increased pfmdr1 gene copy number. Lancet. 2004;364:438–47. PMID: 15288742

Uhlemann A-C et al. A single amino acid can determine sensitivity of SERCAs to artemisinins. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2005;12:628–9.  PMID: 15937493

Gomes MF et al. Pre-referral rectal artesunate to prevent death and disability in severe malaria: placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2009;373:557–66. PMID: 19059639

Pulcini S et al. Expression in yeast links field polymorphisms in PfATP6 to in vitro artemisinin resistance and identifies new inhibitor classes. J Infect Dis. 2013;208(3):468–78. PMID: 23599312

Tel: +44 (0) 208 725 5836

Email: s.krishna@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Twitter@ProfSKrishna

I am an MRC LID funded PhD student at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and City St George’s, University of London. My research investigates the genomic epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum in the context of a cluster-randomised trial in the Bijagos archipelago, off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. I obtained my BSc in Zoology from the University of Cambridge in 2016 with a focus on evolution and genetics. Subsequently, I have worked in the medical devices sector for just shy of four year, where I gained extensive experience in usability research studies, medical device development processes and regulatory affairs.

Email: smoss@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Biography

Dr Yolanda Augustin is a Malaysian oncologist with a special interest in sarcoma and global oncology. She did her undergraduate, medical and palliative care training at Guy's, King's and St Thomas School of Medicine before undertaking clinical oncology training at the Royal Marsden, London. Upon completion of her oncology training, she undertook a research fellowship with the Royal Marsden Sarcoma Unit and obtained higher training in clinical trial design and delivery for novel systemic anticancer therapies including immunotherapy and radiotherapy as part of an extensive clinical trial portfolio. She currently collaborates with oncology colleagues in Malaysia on sarcoma service development, research and training.

She co-leads a global oncology programme at City St George's, University of London focused on developing affordable therapeutics and diagnostics for cancer and infectious disease in Low and Middle-Class Income Countries (LMICs). The programme brings together interdisciplinary experts from academia, global health and industry, with research collaborations in Malaysia, Vietnam, India and Senegal. Their current projects are focused on artesunate drug repurposing for cancer, affordable point-of-care diagnostics for HPV DNA screening for cervical cancer and advocacy work with community health care champions and local stakeholders in rural communities on removing barriers to equitable healthcare access and cancer service delivery.

Publications

Krishna S, Augustin Y. The UK Government’s Pandemic Shame. Project Syndicate, March 2021. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/uk-government-covid19-personal-protective-equipment-shortages-by-sanjeev-krishna-and-yolanda-augustin-1-2021-03

Krishna S, Augustin Y. Britain’s Vaccine Gamble. Project Syndicate, Jan 2021.

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/uk-delay-second-dose-covid19-vaccine-by-sanjeev-krishna-and-yolanda-augustin-1-2021-01?barrier=accesspaylog

Krishna S, Augustin Y, Wang J, Xu C, Staines HM, Platteeuw H, Kamarulzaman A, Sall A, Kremsner P. Repurposing Antimalarials to Tackle the COVID-19 Pandemic. Trends Parasitol. 2021 Jan;37(1):8-11. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2020.10.003. Epub 2020 Oct 19. PMID: 33153922; PMCID: PMC7572038.

Augustin Y, Staines HM, Krishna S. Artemisinins as a novel anti-cancer therapy: Targeting a global cancer pandemic through drug repurposing. Pharmacol Ther. 2020 Dec;216:107706. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107706. Epub 2020 Oct 16. PMID: 33075360; PMCID: PMC7564301.

Younger E, Smrke A, Lidington E, Farag S, Ingley K, Chopra N, Maleddu A, Augustin Y, Merry E, Wilson R, Benson C, Miah A, Zaidi S, McTiernan A, Strauss SJ, Dileo P, Gennatas S, Husson O, Jones RL. Health-Related Quality of Life and Experiences of Sarcoma Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Aug 14;12(8):2288. doi: 10.3390/cancers12082288. PMID: 32823999; PMCID: PMC7547383.

Staines HM, Kirwan DE, Clark DJ, Adams ER, Augustin Y, Byrne RL, Cocozza M, Cubas-Atienzar AI, Cuevas LE, Cusinato M, Davies BMO, Davis M, Davis P, Duvoix A, Eckersley NM, Forton D, Fraser AJ, Garrod G, Hadcocks L, Hu Q, Johnson M, Kay GA, Klekotko K, Lewis Z, Macallan DC, Mensah-Kane J, Menzies S, Monahan I, Moore CM, Nebe-von-Caron G, Owen SI, Sainter C, Sall AA, Schouten J, Williams CT, Wilkins J, Woolston K, Fitchett JRA, Krishna S, Planche T. IgG Seroconversion and Pathophysiology in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection. Emerg Infect Dis. 2021 Jan;27(1):85–91. doi: 10.3201/eid2701.203074. Epub 2020 Nov 30. PMID: 33256890; PMCID: PMC7774532.

Lee JY, Cutts RJ, White I, Augustin Y, Garcia-Murillas I, Fenwick K, Matthews N, Turner NC, Harrington K, Gilbert DC, Bhide S. Next Generation Sequencing Assay for Detection of Circulating HPV DNA (cHPV-DNA) in Patients Undergoing Radical (Chemo)Radiotherapy in Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ASCC). Front Oncol. 2020 Apr 17;10:505. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00505. PMID: 32363162; PMCID: PMC7180612.

Augustin Y, Krishna S, Kumar D, Pantziarka P. The wisdom of crowds and the repurposing of artesunate as an anticancer drug. Ecancermedicalscience. 2015 Oct 13;9:ed50. doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2015.ed50. PMID: 26557887; PMCID: PMC4631583.

Augustin YS, Birch M, Bodini C, Boulton F, Robertson E, Spada VM, Weingarten M. Prevention of torture by doctors and organisations. Lancet. 2011 Dec 17;378(9809):e22-3. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61300-7. Epub 2011 Sep 7. PMID: 21906800.

Email: yaugusti@citystgeorges.ac.uk

Tel: 0208 725 5722

Twitter: @DrYolandaAugus1