Angharad Mostyn Wilkie

Angharad studied Biomedical science as an undergraduate at Bangor university. During her third year she completed an internship in the Bangor labs of the North West Cancer research institute. This fuelled an interest in cancer research. Which led to Angharad undertaking a PhD with North West Cancer research at Bangor University.

Angharad's research centres around the primary cilium; an antenna-like organelle that acts as a crucial signalling hub for certain signalling pathways, some of which may promote therapeutic resistance. Although cilia are often absent from cancer cells certain chemotherapies can temporarily cause ciliary reformation.

Furthermore, defects in cilium formation result in ciliopathies, genetic diseases with a diverse spectrum of symptoms ranging from the relatively mild to embryonic lethal. Interestingly, there are emerging links between cilium formation and aspects of the DNA damage response (DDR). Most notable among these links is the finding that mutations in several DNA repair proteins can cause human ciliopathies.

Angharad’s research focuses on the novel links between cancer, the DNA damage response and cilia.