Michelle Anne Lawson

Research Associate

biography

I am a co-principal investigator on a Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (LLR) Specialist Programme Grant. The grant focuses on improving the treatment of myeloma bone disease and developing therapeutic targets to chemo-resistant cancer cells in preclinical models of myeloma, with the eventual aim of translating this work into clinical trials. My current position involves leading a programme of work and supervising other members (post-doctoral researchers, technicians and postgraduate students) of the Sheffield Myeloma Research Team (SMRT); and the supervision of all in vivo studies performed under the Home Office Project Licence 40/3462 of which I am the Deputy Licence holder. I also provide specialist technical support in multiphoton microscopy for analysing bone tissues to staff and students. I frequently teach, lecture and assess the work of postgraduate students in the Medical School. In addition, I prepare papers for journals, present scientific findings orally to departmental members and at international conferences. I write grant applications and supporting documents to contribute to the work of the SMRT. I continuously read academic papers, journals and textbooks and attend conferences to keep abreast of developments in the fields of multiple myeloma and bone biology.

 

Area of Interest

My main research interests are multiple myeloma and associated bone disease, tumour cell dormancy, tumour cell interaction with the bone microenvironment and the development of in vivo models of bone cancer.


top publication

1. M. A. Lawson, J. Paton-Hough, H. Evans, R. Walker, W. Harris, J. A. Snowden & A.D. Chantry (2014). NOD/SCID-GAMMA mice are an ideal strain to assess the efficacy of therapeutic agents used in the treatment of myeloma bone disease (2014). PLOSone (submitted).
2. Hough-Paton, J. Chantry, A.D., Lawson, M. A. (review 2014). Murine models of myeloma bone disease. International Journal of Laboratory Haematology (submitted).
3. RE Walker, MA Lawson, CH Buckle, JA Snowden and AD Chantry (2014). Myeloma bone disease; pathogenesis, current treatments and future targets. British Medical Bulletin. (submitted).
4. Lawson M, McDonald MM, Kovacic N, Khoo WH, Down J, Kaplan W, Rogers M , Vanderkerken K, Phan T, Croucher PI (2014). A novel method for longitudinal tracking of dormant cancer cell activation in intact bone as a platform for drug discovery. Nature Methods Technical report (submitted).
5. Wang, N, Docherty, F, Brown, H, Reeves, K, Fowles, A, Lawson, M, Ottewell, P, Holen I, Croucher, P, Eaton, C (2013). Tumour cell dormancy in the development of prostate cancer bone metastases. Cancer Research (submitted).
6. Ingunn Holen and Michelle A. Lawson (2013). In vivo Models Used in Studies of Bone Metastases, New Therapeutic Advances in Primary Bone Cancers and Bone Metastases, In Bone Cancer: Progression and Therapeutic Approaches edited by Dominique Heymann, First Edition, Elsevier.
7. C.H. Buckle, E. De Leenheer, M.A. Lawson, J.M. Hough, K.L. Yong, N. Rabin, K. Vanderkerken and P.I. Croucher (2012). Soluble Rank Ligand Produced by Myeloma Cells Contributes to Generalised Bone Loss in Multiple Myeloma. PLoS ONE: 2012;7(8):e41127. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041127. Epub 2012 Aug 29.
8. Vitovski S, Chantry AD, Lawson MA, Croucher PI (2012) Targeting Tumour-Initiating Cells with TRAIL Based Combination Therapy Ensures Complete and Lasting Eradication of Multiple Myeloma Tumours In Vivo. PLoS ONE 7(5): e35830. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035830
9. M.A. Lawson, J. Ashcroft & P.I. Croucher (2010). Bisphosphonates and therapy of multiple myeloma: Bisphosphonates and bone diseases: Past, Present and Future. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 16 (27):3028-3036.
10. C.H. Buckle, H.L. Neville-Webbe, P.I. Croucher & M.A. Lawson (2010). Targeting RANK/RANKL in the Treatment of Solid Tumours and Myeloma. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 16 (11):1272-1283.
11. Ingunn Holen and Michelle A. Lawson (2010). In vivo Models Used in Studies of Bone Metastases, Chapter 29, Section VII: New Therapeutic Advances in Primary Bone Cancers and Bone Metastases, In Bone Cancer: Progression and Therapeutic Approaches edited by Dominique Heymann, First Edition, Elsevier. 347-364.
12. M.A. Lawson, Z. Xia, B.L. Barnett, J.T. Triffitt, R.J. Phipps, J.E. Dunford, R.M. Locklin, F.H. Ebetino, and R.G.G. Russell (2010). Differences between Bisphosphonates in Binding Affinities for Hydroxyapatite. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B - Applied Biomaterials, 92 (1):149-155.
13. Bassett JH, Boyde A, Howell PG, Bassett RH, Galliford TM, Archanco M, Evans H, Lawson MA, Croucher P, St Germain DL, Galton VA, Wiliams GR (2010). Optimal bone strength and mineralization requires the type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase in osteoblasts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 107: 7604-7609.
14. F. Powell, M.A. Lawson, L. Rothwell, P. Kaiser (2009) Development of reagents to study the turkey’s immune response: Identification and molecular cloning of turkey CD4, CD8a and CD28. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 33, 540–546.
15. M.A. Lawson, L. Coulton, F.H. Ebetino, K. Vanderkerken, P.I. Croucher (2008). Geranylgeranyl Transferase Type II Inhibition Prevents Myeloma Bone Disease. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 377(2):453-7.
16. Vanderkerken, K., Medicherla, S., Coulton, L., De Raeve, H, Willems, A, Van Camp, B., Protter, A.A., Higgins, L.S., Menu, E, Lawson, M.A., Croucher, P.I. (2007). Inhibition of p38 MAPK Prevents the Development of Osteolytic Bone Disease, Reduces Tumor Burden and Increases Survival in Murine Models of Multiple Myeloma. Cancer Research, 67, 4572-7.
17. Barralet, J.E., Wang, L., Lawson, M.A., Cooper, P.R., Triffitt, J.T., Shelton, R.M. (2005). Comparison of 2D and 3D bone marrow cell growth on alginate hydrogels. Journal of Material Science: Materials in Medicine, 5, 455-460.
18. Lawson, M.A., Wang, L., Shelton, R.M., Barralet, J.E., Triffitt, J.T. (2004). Adhesion and growth of bone marrow stromal cells on modified alginate hydrogels. Tissue Engineering, 10 (9-10), 1480-1491.
19. Wang L, Shelton RM, Cooper PR, Lawson M.A., Triffitt JT, Barralet JE (2003). Evaluation of sodium alginate for bone marrow cell tissue engineering. Biomaterials, 24 (20), 3475-3481.
20. Vanrompay D, Cox E, Kaiser P, Lawson M., Van Loock M, Volckaert G, Goddeeris B (2001). Protection of turkeys against Chlamydophila psittaci challenge by parenteral and mucosal inoculations and the effect of interferon- on genetic immunization. Immunology, 103, 106-112.
21. Lawson M, Rothwell L, Lambrecht B, Howes K, Venugopal K, Kaiser P. (2000b). Turkey and chicken interferon-, which share high sequence identity, are biologically cross reactive. Development and Comparative Immunology, 25, 69-82.
22. Lawson M, Rothwell L, Kaiser P, (2000a). Turkey and chicken interleukin-2 cross-react in vitro proliferation assays despite limited amino acid sequence identity. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, 20, 161-170.