Dr Simon Joel
Research Interests
Dr Simon Joel's main research themes are in: Clinical Trials Haematological Malignancies, Leukaemia, Lymphoma and Pharmacology
My research group has a particular interest in the molecular pharmacology of novel agents that target proteins or pathways that are altered in haematological cancers. We look at how best to combine these new drugs with established chemotherapy. This research benefits from being able to study the effects of new agents in tumour samples collected from patients in the hospital, thereby providing a better indicator of the likely activity of the drug in the clinic. Such studies increasingly utilise new technologies available within the BCI to determine the global effects of drug activity at the gene, protein and small metabolite level.
Our group also conducts pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of cytotoxic agents in the context of early phase clinical trials, and we have a track record in studying factors that influence the activity of chemotherapy, including the use of therapeutic drug monitoring to overcome variability in drug handling.
In addition to my research interests, I am also the Lead for Postgraduate Teaching and oversee the academic development and progress of postgraduate students. I am involved in the development, quality assurance and quality enhancement of postgraduate programmes of study, contributing to the development and implementation of teaching and learning aids for students and teachers.
I am also the Course Director for the Cancer Therapeutics MSc course.
Funding
- Intellikine 2009-10 £55,000 “The role of PI3-kinase/AKT/mTOR in haematological cancers”
- Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (USA) 2009-10 $200,000 “The activity of novel PI3K inhibitors in myeloma”
- Barts and the London Charitable Foundation 2009-10 £38,000 “Developing mass spectrometry methods for PK and PD endpoints”
- Kyowa Hakko 2007-2009 £195,000 "KW-2478 activity in lymphoid malignancies"
- AstraZeneca, 2005-2009 £265,000 "Aurora kinase inhibition in AML and lymphomas"
- St Bartholomew’s & The Royal London Charitable Foundation PhD studentship 2007-2010 £75,000
Key Publications
The Association of CCND1 Overexpression and Cisplatin Resistance in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors and Other Cancers. NNoel EE, Yeste-Velasco M, Mao X, Perry J, Kudahetti SC, Li NF, Sharp S, Chaplin T, Xue L, McIntyre A, Shan L, Powles T, Oliver RT, Young BD, Shipley J, Berney DM, Joel SP, Lu YJ. Am J Pathol. 2010 Jun;176(6):2607-15. PMID: 20395447
GCS-100, a novel galectin-3 antagonist, modulates MCL-1, NOXA, and cell cycle to induce myeloma cell death. Streetly MJ, Maharaj L, Joel S, Schey SA, Gribben JG, Cotter FE. Blood. 2010 May 13;115(19):3939-48. Epub 2010 Feb 26, PMID: 20190189
AZD1152 rapidly and negatively affects the growth and survival of human acute myeloid leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. Oke A, Pearce D, Wilkinson RW, Crafter C, Odedra R, Cavenagh J, Fitzgibbon J, Lister AT, Joel S, Bonnet D. Cancer Res. 2009 May 15;69(10):4150-8. PMID: 19366807
Phase I study of copper-binding agent ATN-224 in patients with advanced solid tumors. Lowndes SA, Adams A, Timms A, Fisher N, Smythe J, Watt SM, Joel S, Donate F, Hayward C, Reich S, Middleton M, Mazar A, Harris AL. Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Nov 15;14(22):7526-34, PMID: 19010871
Further Publications
For additional publications, please click here.
Research Group
- Dr Simone Jueliger: Postdoctoral Research Assistant
- Dr Adedayo Oke: Postdoctoral Research Assistant
- Dr Essam Kerwash: Postdoctoral Research Assistant
- Ms Jackie Perry: Research Assistant
- Ms Lenushka Maharaj: Research Assistant
- Dr Shireen Kassam: Clinical Research Fellow
- Ms Linsey Madadi: PhD student
- Dr Sunil Iyengar: Clinical Research Fellow
- Ms Christiana Kitromilidou: PhD student
Teaching Activities
In addition to his research interests, Dr Joel is also the Institute Director of Graduate Studies, overseeing the academic development and progress of postgraduate students across the Institute. He is involved in the development, quality assurance and quality enhancement of postgraduate programmes of study, contributing to the development and implementation of teaching and learning aids for students and teachers.
Dr Joel is also the Course Director for the Cancer Therapeutics MSc course run by the Barts Cancer Institute, and teaches on a number of other Masters courses, both at QMUL and externally.
Dr Joel has just completed a 4-year term as a specialist examiner in cancer pharmacology to the Royal College of Radiologists.
Dr Joel is a regular manuscript reviewer for a number of national and international cancer research journals.
News
My research is funded by collaborative projects with major pharmaceutical companies, and by grant awards from major funders (eg CR-UK PhD studentship 2011-2014) and from Barts and the London Charity.
