Contact
Biography
I have been a Consultant Paediatric oncologist with clinical expertise in paediatric solid tumours and brain tumours in Nottingham since 2016 and was appointed as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham in March 2019.
I completed my medical degree in India in 2002 and moved to the UK where i trained to become a paediatric oncologist. I obtained my PhD in 2012 in cancer cell signaling from the University of Dundee investigating the interplay between cellular metabolism and chemotherapy induced DNA damage. I have developed a research niche in tumour metabolism, particularly in childhood brain and liver tumours and lead a research group within the Children's Brain tumour research centre . I have written clinical trials including PHITT (Paediatric Hepatic International Tumour Trial) and I am the Chief Investigator on this large International study. I am also leading the PAED5ALA trial in collaboration with clinicians at QMC and the University COllege London Clinical Trials Unit.I am a board member of the SIOPEL (International Society of Paediatric Oncology Liver group) and on the SIOP Scientific Advisory board for liver tumours. I am the NIHR CRN lead for Paediatric Oncology in the East Midlands and Principal Investigator on several clinical trials. My career aim is to develop novel therapies for children with cancer and to improve outcomes for children with cancer in developing countries.
Expertise Summary
My main areas of expertise are
1) Clinical trial development and conduct.
2) Understanding tumour metabolism to develop more effective and less toxic therapies.
Teaching Summary
Lead for Undegraduate paediatrics - BMBS course 2019- date
Module lead for AMS meds 3094- Developmental Neuroscience 2021-date
Interim FiY1 lead May-Aug 2020
MSc Oncology supervisor since 2018
MSc CIB supervisor since 2019
PhD supervisor since 2022- one as lead supervisor; 2 as co-supervisor
Open to self funding PhDs
Research Summary
Brain tumours
CCLG Little Princess Innovation grant award- £542,000 November 2022- Jan 2026. To conduct a novel clinical trial of 5- ALA in children with brain tumours.
CCLG Little Princess grant- £87,500- Nov 2021- April 2023. Detecting minimal residual disease in ependymoma using CSF metabolomics.
The Sam White Legacy- £45,000- October 2022- Sept 2023. Understanding the vulnerabilities of paediatric high-grade glioma using a bottom- up approach.
European Science Federation Fight Kids Cancer grant (Co-I) - £80,000- May 2023- Aug 2024. An international pathology and biology study of paediatric liver cancers
CCLG Little Princess Project Grant -£96,445- Aug 2019- July 2021. Exploring alterations in amino acid metabolism as novel therapeutic targets in paediatric glial tumours using advanced metabolomics methods
University Of Nottingham International collaboration fund- £ 5000- Jan 2020- Dec 2020- Promoting early diagnosis of brain tumours children in South India
Using CSF Biomarkers to detect minimal residual disease in ependymoma
Liver tumours
Co-investigator of the international PHITT study with Professor Morland, Birmingham
Investigating the metabolome of hepatoblastoma- collaboration with Carolina Armengol, Spain
International hepatoblastoma relapse registry-UK lead
Early diagnosis
Promoting early diagnosis of brain tumours in India
Past Research
Investigating the arginine auxotrophy of childhood brain tumours
Investigating the AMPK pathway in cancer and DNA damage
Future Research
Plans to expand metabolomics based research in low grade glioma and medulloblastoma
Translational projects using metabolomic approaches to effect suppression of tumour growth and recurrence.
Improving early diagnosis of abdominal tumours in the UK