Adam Byron (Affiliate)

Research in a Nutshell 

Cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix is of fundamental importance to multicellular biology, with critical roles in cell migration, differentiation and survival. Dysregulation of cell adhesion can result in a wide range of pathological processes, such as fibrosis, inflammation and cancer invasion and metastasis. Adhesion involves cells binding to extracellular ligands and recruiting intracellular adhesion proteins to form membrane-bound signalling complexes. How these complexes interact with, and respond to, the cellular environment and become dysregulated in cancer is poorly understood. Moreover, it is unclear how various cellular processes control the intracellular trafficking of adhesion proteins to a range subcellular locations, which is critical for normal cellular functions.

It is becoming clear that interconnected networks of adhesion proteins and their regulators profoundly influence many aspects of cancer cell behaviour. Understanding how these networks operate in cancer will aid the identification of targetable subnetworks that could be therapeutically exploited.

Dr Adam Byron uses systems-level approaches, integrating state-of-the-art proteomics, bioinformatics, functional cell biology, super-resolution imaging and cancer models, to discover new properties of cancer cell adhesion networks. His research aims to generate mechanistic insights into cellular interactions with, and responses to, the tumour microenvironment that control fundamental aspects of cancer cell behaviour.

Contact

adam.byron@igmm.ed.ac.uk

Collaborations

• Professor Margaret Frame, University of Edinburgh
• Professor Val Brunton, University of Edinburgh
• Professor Neil Carragher, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Tim Kendall, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Andy Sims, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Bryan Serrels, University of Glasgow
• Professor Charlotte Proby, University of Dundee
• Dr Viktor Korolchuk, Newcastle University
• Professor Rachel Lennon, University of Manchester
• Dr May Tassabehji, University of Manchester
• Dr Leanne de Koning, Institut Curie
• Professor Roman Zubarev, Karolinska Institutet

Partners and Funders

• Cancer Research UK