Dr Helen Roberts

Dr Roberts is currently Associate Professor in Skeletal Cancer Research at Middlesex University, and coordinates a research track investigating the regulation of primary bone cancer chemoresistance and metastasis.

Grants Awarded

Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Charity: Suppress-OS: Targeting Osteoclast-Tumour interactions to Suppress Osteosarcoma Metastasis (Principal Investigator; in collaboration with Dr Song Wen, Middlesex University and Dr Scott Roberts, Royal Veterinary College, London - £136,000)

Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Charity: Delineating the metastatic process in osteosarcoma: the role of bone cells, the cell environment and autophagy (Principal Investigator; in collaboration with Dr Scott Roberts, Royal Veterinary College, London - £87,000)

PetPlanCharitable Trust: Mechanisms of chemoresistance in canine osteosarcoma (PrincipalInvestigator; 2018; in collaboration with Prof Richard Meeson, Royal VeterinaryCollege, London - £10,000).

Bone Cancer Research Trust: ‘MicroRNA regulation ofautophagy-induced chemoresistance in osteosarcoma’ (‘Strictly Research’ AwardWinner; 2017 - £10,000).

Research Activities

Associate Editor for Frontiers in VeterinaryScience (Oncology in Veterinary Medicine) (2022 – present)

Foundingmember of the Primary Bone Cancer Metastasis Network (PBCMetNet; 2019 –present)

Memberof the Genomics England Sarcoma Domain Clinical Interpretation Partnership(GeCIP; 2019 – present)

ScientificAdvisory Board member for the Osteosarcoma charity 'Willberry's Research' (2016– present)

Memberof the Bloomsbury Centre for Skeletal Research (2016 – present)

Regularreviewer of scientific manuscripts and grant proposals for funding bodies suchas the Medical Research Council and the Bone Cancer Research Trust. 

Publications (Published under ‘Owen HC’ upto 2018)

Pereira, J, Rosa, G, Burczynska B, Stordal B,Roberts, SJ and Roberts, HC (2024)ATR inhibition increases cisplatin sensitivity in osteosarcoma throughinhibition of autophagy. Under review.

Wells LM, RobertsHC, Luyten FP, Roberts SJ. (2023) Identifying Fibroblast Growth FactorReceptor 3 as a Mediator of Periosteal Osteochondral Differentiation throughthe Construction of microRNA-Based Interaction Networks. Biology 12(11):1381. doi: 10.3390/biology12111381 IF 4.2

Davies BK, Hibbert AP, Roberts SJ, Roberts HC, Tickner JC, Holdsworth G,Arnett TR, Orriss IR. (2023) A Machine Learning-Based Image Segmentation Methodto Quantify In Vitro Osteoclast Culture Endpoints. Calcif Tissue Int.113(4):437-448. doi: 10.1007/s00223-023-01121-z IF 4.2

Low K, Hills F, Roberts HC, Stordal B. (2023) Establishment and Characterization ofSingle and Triple-Agent Resistant Osteosarcoma Cell Lines. Adv Biol7(2):e2200194. doi: 10.1002/adbi.202200194. IF 3.7

Vas, WJ., Shah, M, Roberts, Helen C. and Roberts, Scott J. (2022) DecellularisedCartilage ECM Culture Coatings Drive Rapid and Robust ChondrogenicDifferentiation of Human Periosteal Cells. Bioengineering,9:203 ISSN 2306-5354. IF 5.0

Klionsky, Daniel J., Roberts, Helen C.and et, al. (2021) Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assaysfor monitoring autophagy (4th edition). Autophagy, 1:1-382 ISSN554-8627 IF 16.2

Al Hosni, Rawiya , Shah, Mittal , Cheema, Umber, Roberts, Helen C., Luyten, Frank P. and Roberts, Scott J. (2020)Mapping human serum induced gene networks as a basis for the creation ofbiomimetic periosteum for bone repair. Cytotherapy, 22(8):424-435 ISSN 1465-3249 IF 5.4

Owen HC, Appiah S, Hasan N,Ghali L, Elayat G, Bell CM. (2017) Phytochemical modulation of apoptosis andautophagy: strategies to overcome chemoresistance in leukaemic stem cells inthe bone marrow microenvironment.. International Review of Neurobiology 135:249-278. IF 3.2

Vas, WJ, Shah M, Al Hosni R, Owen HC*, Roberts SJ. (2017) Biomimetic strategies for fracture repair: engineering the cell microenvironment for directed tissue formation. Journal of Tissue Engineering 8:1-14. (*Joint Final Author) doi: 10.1177/2041731417704791. IF 7.8

LahiriR, Derwa Y, Bashir Z, Giles E, Torrance HD, Owen HC, OʼDwyer MJ, OʼBrien A, Stagg AJ, Bhattacharya S, FosterGR, Alazawi W. (2016) Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome After MajorAbdominal Surgery Predicted by Early Upregulation of TLR4 and TLR5. Ann Surg. 263:1028-1037. doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000001248. IF 13.8

Longbottom ER, Torrance HD, Owen HC, Fragkou P, Hinds CJ, PearseRM, O’Dwyer MJ. (2016) Features of post-operative immune suppression arereversible with interferon gamma and independent of IL-6 pathways. Ann Surg. 264:370-377. doi:10.1097/SLA.0000000000001484.IF 13.8

Jones TF, Owen HC, Torrance, H., Pirmadjid,N., Brohi, K., Hinds, C. J., & O'Dwyer, M. J. (2015). MicroRNA-mediatedregulation of IL-10, IL-12 and TNFα gene expression in severely injured traumapatients. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med,23(2):O5.

Owen HC, Torrance HD, Jones TF,Pearse RM, Hinds CJ, Brohi K O'Dwyer MJ. (2015) Epigenetic regulatorypathways involving micro-RNAs may modulate the host immune response followingmajor trauma. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 79:766-772.IF 3.4

Owen HC,Vanhees I, Gunst J, Van Cromphaut S, Van den Berghe G. (2015) Criticalillness-induced bone loss is related to deficient autophagy and histonehypomethylation. Int Care Med Exp. 3:51-55. doi:10.1186/s40635-015-0052-3.

O'DwyerMJ, Owen HC, Torrance HD. (2015) Theperioperative immune response. CurrOpinion Critical Care. 21:336-342.doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000000213. IF 3.3

TorranceHD, Vivian ME, Brohi K, Prowle JR, Pearse RM, Owen HC, Hinds CJ, O'Dwyer MJ. (2015) Changes in gene expressionfollowing trauma are related to the age of transfused packed red blood cells. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 78:535-542. doi:10.1097/TA.0000000000000534. IF 3.4

FragkouPC, Torrance HD, Pearse RM, Ackland GL, Prowle JR, Owen HC, Hinds CJ, O'Dwyer MJ. (2014) Perioperative bloodtransfusion is associated with a gene transcription profile characteristic ofimmunosuppression: a prospective cohort study. Crit Care. 8:541-545.doi: 10.1186/s13054-014-0541-x. IF 19.33

Owen HC*, Roberts SJ, Tam WL, Solie L, Van Cromphaut SJ,Van den Berghe G, Luyten FP. (2014) Humanized culture of periosteal progenitors in allogeneicserum enhances osteogenic differentiation and in vivo bone formation. Stem CellsTransl Med. 3:218-228 (*Joint First Author). doi:10.5966/sctm.2012-0137. IF 6.9

Vanhees I, Gunst J, Janssens T, Wauters A, VanHerck E, Van Cromphaut S, Van den Berghe G, Owen HC. (2013) Enhanced immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifsignaling is related to pathological bone resorption during critical illness. Horm MetabRes. 45:862-869. doi:10.1055/s-0033-1351290. IF 2.3

Owen HC,Vanhees I, Solie L, Roberts SJ, Wauters A, Luyten FP, Van Cromphaut S, Van denBerghe G. (2012) Critical illness-related bone loss is associated withosteoclastic and angiogenic abnormalities.J Bone Miner Res. 27:1541-1552.doi:10.1002/jbmr.1612. IF 6.3

Dudziec E, Miah S, Choudhry HM, Owen HC, Blizard S, Glover M, Hamdy FC,Catto JW (2011) Hypermethylation of CpG islands and shores around specificmicroRNAs and mirtrons is associated with the phenotype and presence of bladdercancer. Clin Cancer Res.17:1287-96. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-10-2017. IF 13.8

OwenHC,Giedl J, Wild PJ, Fine SW, Humphrey PA, Dehner LP, Amin MB, EpsteinJI, Hartmann A, Catto JWF, Stoehr R (2010) Low frequency of epigenetic eventsin urothelial tumours from young patients JUrology 184: 459-463. doi:10.1016/j.juro.2010.03.131. IF 7.4

OwenHC*,Catto JWF, Miah S, Bryant H, Dudziec E, Larré S, Milo M, Rehman I, Rosario DJ,Di Martino E, Knowles MA, Meuth M, Harris AL, Hamdy FC (2009) Distinct microRNAalterations characterize high- and low-grade bladder cancer. Cancer Research 69:8472-8481 (*Joint First Author). doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-0744. IF 12.7

Owen HC, MinerJN, Ahmed SF, Farquharson C (2009) The role of p21WAF1/CIP1 inglucocorticoid-induced growth retardation. Calcif.Tissue Int. 85: 326-334. doi:10.1007/s00223-009-9276-0. IF 4.3

Roberts SJ, Owen HC, Farquharson C (2008) Identification of a novelsplice variant of the haloacid dehalogenase; PHOSPHO1. Biochem Biophys Res Comm 371: 872-876. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.04.163. IF 3.4

Owen HC,Roberts SJ, Ahmed SF, Farquharson C (2008) Dexamethasoneinduced expression of the glucocorticoid response gene Lipocalin 2 inchondrocytes. Am J Phsiol Endocrin Met 294: E1023-E1034. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00586.2007. IF 4.3

Owen HC, MinerJN, Ahmed SF, Farquharson C (2007) The growth plate sparing effects of theselective glucocorticoid receptor modulator, AL-438. Mol Cell Endocrinol264: 164-170. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2006.11.006. IF 3.7

Patents

Gunst J, Owen HC, Van den Berghe G, VanhorebeekI (2012) Osteoclast Activity. WIPO Patent Application WO/2012/061907. 

Dr Roberts is Programme Leader for the Faculty of Science and Technology Foundation Programme, and Director of Programmes (Biosciences and Quality Enhancement) for the Department of Natural Sciences. Dr Roberts also contributes to the teaching of epigenetics, physiology, pharmacology, molecular biology and cell biology on undergraduate and postgraduate modules, and supervises a number of undergraduate (BSc) and postgraduate (MSc, MRes and PhD) research projects. 

Current Research Students

PhD: Daniela Paternina Martinez, Maria Pop, Wendy Gomez

MRes:  Iman Majdouli

Past Research Students 

PhD: Kaan Low, Janice Pereira

MRes: Gabriel Rosa, Dewa Zazai, Ivan Punev, Charlotte New, Aine Pears, Yathushigan Kulatheepan, Bipusha Tha Shrestha, Akashdeep Ganguly, Eriola Diku