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Medicine

Dr. Emer Bourke

PhD, BSc

 
researcher
 

Biography

Dr. Emer Bourke was awarded her B.Sc. and Ph.D. by the Department of Pharmacology, University College Dublin. Her first postdoctoral position was funded as a Marie Curie Association European Individual Postdoctoral Fellow in the Istituto Mario Negri in Milan, Italy. Following this she returned to Ireland, this time as a Marie Curie European Reintegration Postdoctoral Fellow, working in the Centre for Chromosome Biology at NUI Galway. During her time she advanced becoming a HRB funded Senior postdoctoral fellow. As a self-funded postdoctoral fellow, she published in prestigious journals such as Blood, EMBO journal, Oncogene and Cell Stem Cell.

In 2010, she was appointed as a Lecturer in Biomolecular Science in the Institute of Technology Sligo, before returning to NUI Galway to take up the position as a Lecturer and group leader within the Discipline of Pathology. Her research group focuses on investigating mechanisms of genomic instability in breast cancer and is funded by a Millennium Research Fund Award.

Research Interests

The centrosome is a cellular organelle which duplicates once per cell cycle to direct the formation of the bipolar spindle during cell division. Excessive centrosome number (>2 centrosomes per cell; termed centrosome amplification) is a characteristic of most human tumours. The phenomenon is triggered by DNA damage and in turn, perpetuates genomic instability by inducing errors during cell division. Recent studies have shown that the induction of extra centrosomes drives an oncogene-like transformation of breast cells into a malignant invasive phenotype capable of metastasis to other sites in the body. Current work in my lab characterizes this tumourigenic transformation in breast cell lines and patient tissue samples. We hypothesise that centrosome amplification is one of the key pathways linking genomic instability to structural and intracellular changes which promote tumour progression.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2018) 'Clinically Applicable Inhibitors Impacting Genome Stability'
Prakash A, Garcia-Moreno JF, Brown JAL, Bourke E. (2018) 'Clinically Applicable Inhibitors Impacting Genome Stability'. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), [DOI] [Details]
(2015) 'ROCK activity and the G beta gamma complex mediate chemotactic migration of mouse bone marrow-derived stromal cells'
Ryan, CM,Brown, JAL,Bourke, E,Prendergast, AM,Kavanagh, C,Liu, ZL,Owens, P,Shaw, G,Kolch, W,O'Brien, T,Barry, FP (2015) 'ROCK activity and the G beta gamma complex mediate chemotactic migration of mouse bone marrow-derived stromal cells'. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 6 [DOI] [Details]
(2016) 'Targeting cancer using KAT inhibitors to mimic lethal knockouts'
Brown, J. A.,Bourke, E.,Eriksson, L. A.,Kerin, M. J. (2016) 'Targeting cancer using KAT inhibitors to mimic lethal knockouts'. Biochem Soc Trans, 44 (44):979-86 [Details]
(2014) 'Rational design and validation of a Tip60 histone acetyltransferase inhibitor'
Gao C*, Bourke E*, Scobie M, Famme MA, Koolmeister T, Helleday T, Eriksson LA, Lowndes NF, Brown JA. (2014) 'Rational design and validation of a Tip60 histone acetyltransferase inhibitor'. Scientific Reports, [Details]
(2010) 'MCPH1/BRIT1 limits ionizing radiation-induced centrosome amplification'
Brown, JAL,Bourke, E,Liptrot, C,Dockery, P,Morrison, CG (2010) 'MCPH1/BRIT1 limits ionizing radiation-induced centrosome amplification'. Oncogene, 29 :5537-5544 [DOI] [Details]
(2009) 'Centriole separation in DNA damage-induced centrosome amplification'
Saladino C, Bourke E, Conroy PC, Morrison CG (2009) 'Centriole separation in DNA damage-induced centrosome amplification'. Environmental And Molecular Mutagenesis, 50 (8):725-732 [DOI] [Details]
(2007) 'DNA damage induces Chk1-dependent centrosome amplification'
Bourke E, Dodson H, Merdes A, Cuffe L, Zachos G, Walker M, Gillespie D, Morrison CG. (2007) 'DNA damage induces Chk1-dependent centrosome amplification'. Embo Reports, 8 (6):603-609 [Details]
(2004) 'Centrosome amplification induced by DNA damage occurs during a prolonged G2 phase and involves ATM'
Dodson H, Bourke E, Jeffers LJ, Vagnarelli P, Sonoda E, Takeda S, Earnshaw WC, Merdes A, Morrison C. (2004) 'Centrosome amplification induced by DNA damage occurs during a prolonged G2 phase and involves ATM'. Embo Journal, 23 (19):3864-3873 [Details]
(2010) 'Hematopoietic stem cell quiescence promotes error prone DNA repair and mutagenesis'
Mohrin M, Bourke E, Alexander D, Warr M, Barry-Holson K,, LeBeau M, Morrison CG and Passegué E. (2010) 'Hematopoietic stem cell quiescence promotes error prone DNA repair and mutagenesis'. Cell Stem Cell Impact Factor 24, 7 (2):174-185 [Details]
(2010) 'DNA damage induces Chk1-dependent threonine-160 phosphorylation and activation of Cdk2'
Bourke, E., Brown J.A., Takeda, S., Hochegger, H. and Morrison C.G. (2010) 'DNA damage induces Chk1-dependent threonine-160 phosphorylation and activation of Cdk2'. Oncogene, 29 :616-624 [Details]
(2008) 'Ku70 prevents genome instability resulting from heterozygosity of the telomerase RNA component in a vertebrate tumour line'
Faure, V,Wenner, T,Cooley, C,Bourke, E,Farr, CJ,Takeda, S,Morrison, CG (2008) 'Ku70 prevents genome instability resulting from heterozygosity of the telomerase RNA component in a vertebrate tumour line'. Dna Repair, 7 :713-724 [DOI] [Details]
(2003) 'The toll-like receptor repertoire of human B lymphocytes: inducible and selective expression of TLR9 and TLR10 in normal and transformed cells'
Bourke E, Bosisio, D, Golay, J, Polentarutti, N & Mantovani, A (2003) 'The toll-like receptor repertoire of human B lymphocytes: inducible and selective expression of TLR9 and TLR10 in normal and transformed cells'. Blood, 102 (3):956-963 [Details]
(2003) 'IL-1 beta scavenging by the type II IL-1 decoy receptor in human neutrophils'
Bourke E, Cassetti A, Villa A, Fadlon E, Colotta F, Mantovani A (2003) 'IL-1 beta scavenging by the type II IL-1 decoy receptor in human neutrophils'. Journal Of Immunology, 170 (12):5999-6005 [Details]
(2000) 'Loss of Ikappa B-beta is associated with prolonged NF-kappa B activity in human glial cells'
Bourke E, Kennedy, EJ & Moynagh, PN (2000) 'Loss of Ikappa B-beta is associated with prolonged NF-kappa B activity in human glial cells'. Journal Of Biological Chemistry, 275 (51):39996-40002 [Details]
(1999) 'Antiinflammatory effects of glucocorticoids in brain cells, independent of NF-kappa B'
Bourke E. & Moynagh PN (1999) 'Antiinflammatory effects of glucocorticoids in brain cells, independent of NF-kappa B'. Journal Of Immunology, 163 (4):2113-2119 [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2012) 'Centrosomes, DNA Damage and Aneuploidy'
Chiara Saladino, Emer Bourke, Ciaran Morrison (2012) 'Centrosomes, DNA Damage and Aneuploidy' In: The Centrosome. Springer. [Details]

Abstract

  Year Publication
(2015) Assessing Argonaute-2 as A Biomarker For Breast Cancer.
Casey, MC,McGuire, A,Shalaby, A,Webber, M,Curran, C,Callagy, G,Bourke, E,Brown, JAL,Kerin, MJ (2015) Assessing Argonaute-2 as A Biomarker For Breast Cancer. Abstract [Details]
(2010) DNA damage-induced centriole disengagement.
Saladino, C,Conroy, P,Inanc, B,Dodson, H,Bourke, E,Morrison, C (2010) DNA damage-induced centriole disengagement. Abstract [Details]
(2008) How Can Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Myeloid Progenitors Become Transformed?.
Mohrin, M,Bourke, E,Morrison, C,Passegue, E (2008) How Can Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Myeloid Progenitors Become Transformed?. Abstract [Details]
(2008) DNA repair capacity of hematopoietic stem and myeloid progenitor cells.
Mohrin, M,Bourke, E,Morrison, C,Passegue, E (2008) DNA repair capacity of hematopoietic stem and myeloid progenitor cells. Abstract [Details]
(2007) The role of apoptosis and DNA repair in normal and abnormal hematopoiesis.
Mohrin, ME,Bourke, E,Morrison, C,Passegue, EA (2007) The role of apoptosis and DNA repair in normal and abnormal hematopoiesis. Abstract [Details]

Meeting

  Year Publication
(2008) DNA repair capacity of hematopoietic stem and myeloid progenitor cells.
Mohrin, M,Bourke, E,Morrison, C,Passegue, E (2008) DNA repair capacity of hematopoietic stem and myeloid progenitor cells. Meeting [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2012 National University of Ireland Galway Millennium Research Fund Award National University of Ireland Galway
2005 Health Research Board Ireland, Senior Postdoctoral research fellowship Health Research Board
2004 European Commission Framework Programme 6, Marie Curie European Reintegration grant European Commission
2000 European Commission Framework Programme 5, Marie Curie Association European Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship European Commission

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Irish Association for Cancer Research Committee member responsible for organisation of annual IACR conference /

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2012 National University of Ireland Galway Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
2011-Present Semester 2 Health&Disease I MD-201 2nd Year Medical Students will learn about the molecular, cellular, microbiological and environmental mechanisms which underpin the development and progression of disease
2011-Present: Semester 1 Health & Disease II MD-302 3rd year Medical Students will learn to understand the common disease processes affecting different organ systems and their clinical implications.
2012-Present: Semester 1 MSc in Clinical Oncology and Haematology BI-461 Students will learn about the underlying pathogenesis of cancer, nomenclature of tumours, clinical diagnostics and the latest clinical treatments
2013 Biomedical Science Seminar and Written Review BM-201 Students will perform a literature search on a current area of research in Biomedical Science using both library journals and web-based methods, and organize the information for a seminar presentation and for a written review.

Internal Collaborators

  Name Description of Collaboration
Internal Collaborators
Dr Terri McVeigh, Dr Nicola Miller and Dr James Brown in Prof Michael Kerin's research group, Discipline of Surgery.Prof. Noel Lowndes & Prof. Ciaran Morrison, Centre for Chromosome Biology, Discipline of Biochemistry. 

External Collaborators

  Name Organisation / Institute Country Description of Collaboration
External Collaborators
Dr Ann Hopkins, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin.Dr Leif Ericsson, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 405 30, Göteborg, Sweden.Prof. Martin Scobie, Science for Life Laboratory, Division of Translational Medicine and Chemical Biology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.