Research groups
Collaborators:
Francis Szele, DPAG, University of Oxford
Chris Schofield, Chemistry, University of Oxford
James McCullagh, Chemistry, University of Oxford
Olaf Ansorge, Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford
Dan Tennant, Hypoxia and Metabolism, University of Birmingham
Colin Watts, Neurosurgery, University of Birmingham
Victoria Vikes, Neurosurgery, University of Birmingham
Rachel Guest, Clinical Surgery, University of Edinburgh
Emmanuelle Huillard, ICM, France
Tomoyoshi Soga, IAB, Japan
Chiara Bardella
PhD
Research Scientist
Biography
Chiara received her PhD in Cellular Science and Technologies from the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, University of Turin (Italy). She subsequently moved to the University of Oxford as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Professor Ian Tomlinson’s laboratory at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, where she developed expertise in cancer genetics and functional biology of metabolic oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes, including FH and IDH, across different cancer contexts.
In 2017, Chiara joined the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences at the University of Birmingham, where in 2018, she was appointed Principal Investigator and established the Laboratory of Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Glioma Development.
Since 2023, Chiara has been a member of the Department of Oncology, where she continues her research on cellular and molecular mechanisms of gliomagenesis.
Research Summary
Chiara’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying tumour initiation and progression, with a particular interest in cancers driven by the accumulation of oncometabolites. Many gliomas show mutations in a protein called isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). Chiara investigates mechanisms of gliomagenesis, tumour cell identity, and metabolic vulnerabilities in a way that bridges fundamental biology and clinical need. By combining in vivo modelling, patient-derived systems, functional genomics and metabolic profiling technologies she explores how mutations in metabolic enzymes contribute to oncogenesis and how these mechanisms may be targeted therapeutically.
Key publications
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Journal article
Bardella C. et al, (2016), Cancer Cell, 30, 578 - 594
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Journal article
Bardella C. et al, (2018), Prog Neurobiol, 170, 37 - 52
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Journal article
Reinbold R. et al, (2022), Nat Commun, 13
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Journal article
Walsby-Tickle J. et al, (2020), Commun Biol, 3
Recent publications
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Journal article
Solomou G. et al, (2023), Cancers (Basel), 15
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Journal article
Reinbold R. et al, (2022), Nat Commun, 13
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Journal article
Finch A. et al, (2021), Int J Mol Sci, 22
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Journal article
Walsby-Tickle J. et al, (2020), Commun Biol, 3
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Journal article
Lee LYW. et al, (2019), Clin Cancer Res, 25, 629 - 640