Emer Bourke

Lecturer in Discipline of Pathology

Principal Investigator

Lambe Institute for Translational Research

Research interests

• Centrosome amplification in cancer
• Molecular differences in centrosome function between breast cancer subtypes
• Targeting centrosomes as therapy

Research Overview:

The centrosome is a key cellular organelle, which duplicates once per cell cycle, required to direct formation of the bipolar mitotic spindle during cell division. 

Centrosome amplification (CA), an excessive number of centrosomes per cell (≥3 centrosomes), is a hallmark feature of all stages of tumour development and the extent of this defect correlates closely with tumour aggressiveness and poor prognosis in patients.

My group explores the role of CA in triggering early tumourigenic changes in the context of breast cancer and investigates the basic molecular mechanisms underpinning how cells adapt to CA including increased genomic instability, impact on cell attachments and intracellular signalling changes. Illuminating key centrosome-related pathogenic and molecular mechanisms that underpin the development and spread of breast cancer is necessary to better understand individual subtypes, and importantly identify new prognostic and therapeutic targets, ultimately with the aim of improving patient outcomes.

Career History

• Lecturer and Principal Investigator, Pathology, NUI Galway, 2011
• Lecturer in Biomolecular Science, Sligo Institute of Technology, 2011
• Postdoc, Marie Curie and Health Research Board Fellow, Centre for Chromosome Biology, NUI Galway, with Prof Ciaran Morrison, 2010
• Postdoc, Marie Curie Fellow, Istituto Mario Negri, Milan, Italy with Alberto Mantovani, 2003
• PhD, Health Research Board scholarship, UCD, with Prof Paul Moynagh, 1999.
• BSc (Pharm), UCD, 1995.