Professor of Molecular Dermatology

 

 

Contact details:

Tel:	+44 20 7882 7161
Fax:	+44 20 7882 7172
Email:	edelann@doctors.org.uk
Address:	Centre for Cutaneous Research, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, 4 Newark Street, London E1 2AT, United Kingdom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biography

Edel O'Toole received her medical degree from University College , Galway , Ireland and subsequently trained in Galway and Dublin in Medicine and Dermatology. In 1994, she moved to Northwestern University , Chicago to work with Professor David Woodley on keratinocyte migration and extracellular matrix funded by a Dermatology Foundation and subsequently a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Physician-Scientist Fellowship. In 1998, she relocated to the UK to complete her clinical training in Dermatology at the Royal Free and Barts and the London NHS Trusts. In July 2001, she became a Clinical Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant Dermatologist at QMUL/Barts and the London NHS Trust. Her clinical interests are genetic skin disease, paediatric dermatology and medical dermatology (including blistering diseases).

 

K ey research achievements:

•  Demonstration that hypoxia promotes keratinocyte migration (J. Clin. Inv, 1997 and J. Cell. Phys. In press)

•  Demonstration that laminin 5 (processed) inhibits keratinocyte migration (Exp. Cell Research, 1997).

•  Development of gene therapy in vitro for type VII collagen (JBC, 1999)

•  Finding harlequin ichthyosis gene (American Journal of Human Genetics, 2005).

•  Demonstration that Axl is a marker of squamous cell carcinoma (Br J Cancer, 2006)

•  Finding the gene for no nails [anonychia] (Nature Genetics, 2006)

 

Academic distinctions

American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Young Investigator Award, May 1996 (first place)

Everett-Fox award, American Academy of Dermatology, 1988

Jacob Medal, Royal Academy of Medicine , Ireland , May 1999

Canadian Dermatology Association Trophy for best paper at British Association of Dermatologists meeting, July 2005

 

Research Activity

Her research continues to focus on keratinocyte biology. Research projects in the group include:

1. Signal transduction mechanisms in squamous cell carcinoma invasion (Post-doc, PhD student, Monika Cichon).
2. The role of type VII collagen in SCC invasion (PhD student, Vera Martins)
3. The role of keratins 6a and K16 in keratinocyte migration and invasion (PhD student, Rudolf van Koningsveld)
4. The role of Axl in keratinocyte survival in skin carcinogenesis (Post-doc, Emmanouil Papadakis)
5. Determinants of localization of varicella-zoster replication in skin (MRC Clinical Training Fellow, Manuraj Singh, co-supervisor, Judy Breuer).

She also collaborates with David Kelsell on various genetics projects including genetics of atopic eczema in the Bangladeshi population and genetics and cell biology of the harlequin ichthyosis gene (ABCA12).

 

Key Publications

•  O'Toole EA , van Koningsveld R, Chen M, Woodley DT. Hypoxia induces epidermal keratinocyte matrix metalloproteinase-9 secretion via the protein kinase C pathway. J Cell Physiol. 2008 ;214(1):47-55.

•  Pourreyron C, Cox G, Mao X, Volz A, Baksh N, Wong T, Fassihi H, Arita K, O'Toole EA , Ocampo-Candiani J, Chen M, Hart IR, Bruckner-Tuderman L, Salas-Alanis JC, McGrath JA, Leigh IM, South AP. Patients with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa develop squamous-cell carcinoma regardless of type VII collagen expression. J Invest Dermatol. 2007;127(10):2438-44.

•  Blaydon DC, Ishii Y, O'Toole EA , Unsworth HC, Teh MT, Rüschendorf F, Sinclair C, Hopsu-Havu VK, Tidman N, Moss C, Watson R, de Berker D, Wajid M, Christiano AM, Kelsell DP. The gene encoding R-spondin 4 (RSPO4), a secreted protein implicated in Wnt signaling, is mutated in inherited anonychia.Nat Genet. 2006 ;38(11):1245-7.

•  Green J, Ikram M, Vyas J, Patel N, Proby CM, Ghali L, Leigh IM, O'Toole EA , Storey A. Overexpression of the Axl tyrosine kinase receptor in cutaneous SCC-derived cell lines and tumours. Br J Cancer. 2006;94:1446-51.  

•  Common JE, O'Toole EA , Leigh IM, Thomas A, Griffiths WA, Venning V, Grabczynska S, Peris Z, Kansky A, Kelsell DP. Clinical and genetic heterogeneity of erythrokeratoderma variabilis. J Invest Dermatol. 2005 ;125:920-7.  

•  Leachman SA, Kaspar RL, Fleckman P, Florell SR, Smith FJ, McLean WH, Lunny DP, Milstone LM, van Steensel MA, Munro CS, O'Toole EA , Celebi JT, Kansky A, Lane EB. Clinical and pathological features of pachyonychia congenita. J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2005;10:3-17.  

•  Kelsell DP, Norgett EE, Unsworth H, Teh MT, Cullup T, Mein CA, Dopping-Hepenstal PJ, Dale BA, Tadini G, Fleckman P, Stephens KG, Sybert VP, Mallory SB, North BV, Witt DR, Sprecher E, Taylor AE, Ilchyshyn A, Kennedy CT, Goodyear H, Moss C, Paige D, Harper JI, Young BD, Leigh IM, Eady RA, O'Toole EA . Mutations in ABCA12 underlie the severe congenital skin disease harlequin ichthyosis. Am J Hum Genet. 2005 ;76:794-803.  

•  Yurko MA, O'Toole EA , Woodley DT. Phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (pp125(FAK)) is increased in human keratinocytes induced to migrate by extracellular matrices. J Cell Physiol. 2001;188:24-32.  

•  Chen M, O'Toole EA , Muellenhoff M, Medina E, Kasahara N, Woodley DT. Development and characterization of a recombinant truncated type VII collagen "minigene". Implication for gene therapy of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. J Biol Chem. 2000;275:24429-35.  

•  O'Toole EA , Marinkovich MP, Peavey CL, Amieva MR, Furthmayr H, Mustoe TA, Woodley DT. Hypoxia increases human keratinocyte motility on connective tissue. J Clin Invest. 1997;100:2881-91.  

•  O'Toole EA , Marinkovich MP, Hoeffler WK, Furthmayr H, Woodley DT. Laminin-5 inhibits human keratinocyte migration. Exp Cell Res. 1997;233:330-9.

>> Publications since 2001

 

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