Cardiff School of Dentistry

Research Theme

Tissue Engineering & Reparative Dentistry

Research Group

Extracellular Matrix (ECM) in Repair & Remodelling

Research Interests

Major research interests in my group focus on the understanding of metalloproteinase function in the arthritic diseases and cancer. The groups main focus is to understand the role of metalloproteinases in cellular signalling at the molecular level and design novel therapeutic regimens to combat arthritic disease and cancer.

Selected Publications

• Cellular mechanisms for human procollagenase-3 (MMP-13) activation. Evidence that MT1-MMP (MMP-14) and gelatinase a (MMP-2) are able to generate active enzyme.
• The role of the C-terminal domain of human collagenase-3 (MMP-13) in the activation of procollagenase-3, substrate specificity, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase interaction.
• Biochemical characterization of the catalytic domain of human matrix metalloproteinase 19. Evidence for a role as a potent basement membrane degrading enzyme.
• Sequence motifs of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases 2 (TIMP-2) determining progelatinase A (proMMP-2) binding and activation by membrane-type metalloproteinase 1 (MT1-MMP).

Selected Projects

• Generation of inhibitory scFv antibodies (ARC funded)
• Characterisation of RECK, a novel MMP inhibitor (ARC funded, Collaboration with Prof. Gillian Murphy, Cambridge University, UK)
• Characterisation of MMP28 (collaboration with Prof. Ian Clark University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK)

Additional Information

• Matrix metalloproteinase research group leader