Mutant p53 enhances receptor recycling to enhance invasion and chemo-resistance

Patricia is a cancer biologist who has studied the role of mutant p53 proteins in cancer. She has characterised an important intracellular pathway (Rab-coupling protein-driven receptor recycling) as a molecular mechanism underlying mutant p53-driven invasion and metastasis. Mutant p53 expression frequently correlates with drug resistance, and preliminary data reveal a potential role for receptor recycling in mediating chemo-resistance. Using molecular and imaging approaches, Patricia will extend these studies to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying mutant p53-dependent chemo-resistance and to further characterise the molecular pathways regulated by mutant p53 to promote invasion and metastasis.