Associate Profession in Biochemistry
Research Interests
Molecular Chaperones in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology
For detailed information on my research please see the BioBRU website
Brief Biography
Academic Qualifications
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (University of Glasgow, UK). Wellcome Trust Programme (2004 - 2008)
M.Res. in Molecular Functions in Disease (University of Glasgow, UK) (2005)
M.Sc. in Forensic Science (King’s College London KCL, UK) (2004)
M.Sc. in Biochemistry (Distinction)(Rhodes University, RSA) (2003)
B.Sc. Honours in Biochemistry (Distinction) (Rhodes University, RSA) (2001)
B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Microbiology (Distinction)(Rhodes University, RSA) (2000)
Positions and Awards
Winner DST South African Women in Science (SAWiSA) Award for Distinguished Young Scientist in the Natural/Engineering Sciences (2018)
Scientific Reports Editorial Board (Panel: Cancer) (2018-2020)
Member of Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) (2017-current)
DST/NRF SARChI in Molecular and Cellular Biology of the Eukaryotic Stress Response (2015 - 2020)
Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award (2015)
NRF Y1 rating (2014 – 2019)
Director; Biomedical Biotechnology Research Unit (BioBRU) (2011 – current)
Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Rhodes University (2013 – current)
Lecturer in Biochemistry, Rhodes University (2009 – 2013)
NRF and Claude Leon Postdoctoral Fellow, Rhodes University (2008 – 2009)
Wellcome Trust PhD Fellowship in Molecular Functions in Disease (2003 – 2008)
Beit Trust International Postgraduate Fellowship to KCL (Forensic Science) (2002 – 2003)
Selected Publications
Boel N.M.E., Hunter M.C., Edkins AL*. LRP1 is required for novobiocin-mediated fibronectin turnover. 2018. Scientific Reports 8: 11438.
Mandal G, Biswas S, Chowdhury SR, Chatterjee A, Purohit S, Khamaru P, Chakraborty S, Mandal PK, Gupta A, de la Mare J-A, Edkins AL*, Bhattacharyya A. Heterodimer formation by Oct4 and Smad3 differentially regulates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-associated factors in breast cancer progression. 2018. BBA-Molecular Basis of Disease. 1864 (6), 2053-2066.
Edkins AL*, Price JT, Pockley AG, Blatch GL. Heat shock proteins as modulators and therapeutic targets of chronic disease: an integrated perspective. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. 2018. 373(1738).
Dhanani KCH, Samson WJ, Edkins AL*. Fibronectin is a stress responsive gene regulated by HSF1 in response to geldanamycin. Scientific Reports 2017 7 (1), 17617.
De la Mare J-A, Perks T, Edkins AL*. Extracellular Hsp90 and TGFβ regulate adhesion, migration and anchorage independent growth in a paired colon cancer cell line model. BMC Cancer. 2017. 17 (1), 202.
Mbaba M, Mabhula A, Boel N, Edkins AL, Isaacs M, Hoppe H, Khanye S. Ferrocenyl and organic novobiocin derivatives: Synthesis and their in vitro biological activity. Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry 2017. 172, 88-93
Mattison SA, Blatch GL and Edkins AL*. HOP expression is regulated by p53 and RAS and characteristic of a cancer gene signature. Cell Stress and Chaperones. 2016 Published online, p1-11 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-016-0755-8.
Edkins AL*. (2016). Hsp90 Co-chaperones as Drug Targets in Cancer: Current Perspectives. Chapter in “Heat Shock Protein Inhibitors: Success Stories” for the series Topics in Medicinal Chemistry pp 21-54. Editor: Shelli McAlpine and Adrienne Edkins. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-319-32605-4
Edkins AL*. (2015) CHIP: A Co-chaperone for Degradation by the Proteasome. Subcellular Biochemistry.78:219-42. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-11731-7_11.
Pesce ER, Blatch GL and Edkins AL*. (2015). Hsp40 as drug targets: towards the Development of Specific Inhibitors. Chapter in “Heat Shock Protein Inhibitors: Success Stories” for the series Topics in Medicinal Chemistry. pp 163-195. Editors: Shelli McAlpine and Adrienne Edkins. Springer. ISBN: 978-3-319-32605-4
Baindur-Hudson S, Edkins AL*, Blatch GL. (2015) Hsp70/Hsp90 organising protein (hop): beyond interactions with chaperones and prion proteins. Subcellular Biochemistry.78:69-90. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-11731-7_3.
S Aliwaini, WL. Kröger, A Blanckenberg, Jo de la Mare, AL Edkins, S Mapolie, S Prince. The palladacycle, AJ-5, exhibits anti-tumour and anti-cancer stem cell activity in breast cancer cells. Cancer Letters 2015; 357: 206–218, doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2014.11.027
Hunter, M.C. O’Hagan, K.L., Kenyon, A. Dhanani, KCH, Prinsloo, EA, Edkins, AL* Hsp90 binds directly to fibronectin (FN) and inhibition reduces the extracellular fibronectin matrix in breast cancer cells. PLoS One. 2014 Jan 22;9(1):e86842.
Amemiya, CT, Alfoldi, J., //Edkins AL.// Kerstin Lindblad-Toh. Comparative analysis of the genome of the African coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, sheds light on tetrapod evolution. Nature. 2013 Apr 17;496(7445):311-316. DOI: 10.1038/nature12027
Willmer T, Contu L, Blatch GL, Edkins AL.* Knockdown of Hop downregulates RhoC expression, and decreases pseudopodia formation and migration in cancer cell lines. Cancer Letters. 2013 Jan 28;328(2):252-60.
Edkins AL, Borland G, Acharya M, Cogdell R, Ozanne B, Cushley W. Differential regulation of monocyte cytokine release by αv and β2 integrins that bind CD23. Immunology 2012 Jun;136(2):241-51.
De la Mare J-A, Lawson, JC, Chiwakata M, Beukes D, Edkins AL, Blatch GL. Quinones and halogenated monoterpenes of algal origin show anti-proliferative effects against breast cancer cells in vitro. Invest New Drugs. 2012 Dec;30(6):2187-200.
Sterrenberg JN, Blatch GL, Edkins AL. Human DNAJ in Cancer and Stem Cells. Cancer Letters. 2011 312: 129-142
Lawson JC, Blatch GL, Edkins AL. Cancer stem cells in breast cancer and metastasis. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2009 Nov;118(2):241-54
Acharya M, Edkins AL, Ozanne BW, Cushley W. SDF-1 and PDGF enhance alphavbeta5-mediated ERK activation and adhesion-independent growth of human pre-B cell lines. Leukemia. 2009 Oct;23(10):1807-17.
Borland G, Edkins AL, Acharya M, Matheson J, White LJ, Allen JM, Bonnefoy JY, Ozanne BW, Cushley W. alphavbeta5 integrin sustains growth of human pre-B cells through an RGD-independent interaction with a basic domain of the CD23 protein. J Biol Chem. 2007 Sep 14;282(37):27315-26.
For a complete list of publications, please click here
Contact Information
Last Modified: Wed, 09 Nov 2022 10:38:07 SAST