Cell Immortalisation

David Beach PhD, FRS

Research field

David Beach's group is focused on the molecular pathways that regulate the proliferation and fate determination of human and other mammalian cells in particular, the mechanisms of cell cycle control and cellular senescence. Further areas of investigation concern the genetic mechanisms by which normally proliferating cells become oncogenically transformed when regulation of pathways affecting cellular senescence, anchorage dependence, motility and angiogenic activation become altered. The group is also interested in the biology of stem cells: by studying the unusual cell cycle regulatory mechanisms of both embryonic and adult stem cells, they will gain an understanding of how growth potential becomes restricted during normal development and will define the role of adult stems cells in the development and maintenance of tissues and organs.

Key research papers

1 Collado M, Gil J, Efeyan A, Guerra C, Schuhmacher AJ, Barradas M, Benguria A, Zaballos A, Flores JM, Barbacid M, Beach D, Serrano M. Tumour biology: senescence in premalignant tumours. Nature. 2005 Aug 4;436(7051):642.

2 Bernard D, Martinez -Leal JF, Rizzo S, Martinez D, Hudson D, Visakorpi T, Peters G, Carnero A, Beach D, Gil JCBX7 controls the growth of normal and tumor-derived prostate cells by repressing the Ink4a/Arf locus. Oncogene. 2005 Aug 25;24(36):5543-51

3 Kondoh H, Lleonart ME, Gil J, Wang J, Degan P, Peters G, Martinez D, Carnero A, Beach D.Glycolytic enzymes can modulate cellular life span. Cancer Res. 2005 Jan 1;65(1):177-85.