What motivated you to come to Bristol and do this programme?

The high quality of research carried out at the university and the opportunity to be trained in both cell biology and epidemiology attracted me to the programme.

What is the key research question of your PhD research project and what have you found out so far?

The key research question of my Ph.D. was to investigate the potential role of fascin-1, an actin-bundling protein that functions in forming parallel actin bundles in cell protrusions, as a biomarker for prostate carcinoma progression and the mechanisms regulating fascin-1 expression in prostate carcinoma cells.

A systematic review and meta-analysis that I carried out during my Ph.D. found evidence that fascin-1 may have potential as a novel biomarker for early identification of aggressive and metastatic tumors.

Where do you think your research could lead and what are your future career plans now?

Fascin-1 has potential to be a non-invasive prognostic biomarker for identifying aggressive, clinically significant prostate cancer, either at the time of diagnosis or during follow-up of the disease. However, further studies with appropriate study designs are crucial for successful validation of fascin-1 as a non-invasive prognostic biomarker for clinical use.

After my PhD., I hope to move into the field of patent law.

Where are they now?

I have remained at the University of Bristol as a Senior Research Associate in Applied Genetic Epidemiology in the Bristol Medical School.