Dr Ishtiaq Rehman, BSc, MSc, PhD
Lecturer in Bone Biology
Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of prostate cancer metastasis to bone
Dr. Rehman obtained his BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences (specialising in Cellular Pathology), from the University of Bradford in 1992. He then obtained his MSc in Medical Biotechnology (1993), and PhD in the Department of Dermatology (1996), both from the University of Newcastle upon-Tyne. He subsequently worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA; Molecular Medicine Unit, University of Leeds, and the Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Sheffield, before being appointed as a Lecturer in Uro-oncology, in the Academic Urology Unit in 2003. Dr. Rehman joined the Academic Unit of Bone Biology in 2008.
The focus of research over the recent years has been on the identification of proteins and pathways dysregulated during the metastatic progression of prostate cancer, and the identification of novel prostate cancer biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis, using state of the art proteomic technologies.
This work is being done in collaboration with Prof. Phillip Wright and Dr. Caroline Evans (Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Sheffield). To date, a number of candidate proteins have been identified which are now being evaluated, both functionally and for their usefulness as prostate cancer biomarkers, using large cohorts of patient samples, in collaboration with Prof. Freddie Hamdy (University of Oxford).
Dr Rehman’s current research interests are aimed at characterising the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved during formation of the pre-metastatic niche at distant sites, such as the bone marrow, using proteomic and molecular biology approaches. Current ongoing projects are investigating the expression profile of primary and metastatic prostate cancer. In collaboration with Dr. Colby Eaton and Prof. Peter Croucher, improved in vivo models are being developed which will facilitate studies into the early mechanisms of prostate cancer metastasis to bone.
Dr Rehman’s work is funded by the MRC and The Sheffield Hospitals Charitable Trust.
