Dr Lakjaya Buluwela

Following graduation with a BSc and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London, Dr Laki Buluwela went to the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge as a Research Fellow and member of staff. In 1993 he joined Professor Charles Coombes in the Department of Oncology  at Charing Cross and Westmisnter Medial School, which is now part of Imperial College  London. Dr Buluwela has been interested in developing in vitro models for the study of mammary gland morphogenesis and growth, using primary human mammary epithelial cells. As part of this work, he has developed a particular expertise in isolating and purifying both normal and malignant mammary epithelial cells, which have been used in studies of gene expression comparing normal and tumour cell types. His most recent work has centred on developing new techniques for manipulating key genes in cell models and has been carried out in collaboration with Professor Simak Ali and Professor Charles Coombes. This has included the use of viral vectors to over-express genes, such as the oestrogen receptor in primary, normal mammary epithelial cells and the development of a new technology to silence genes, based on chromatin engineering. The later approach is known as "Gene Inactivation by Chromatin Engineering", or "Gene ICE" and has been successfully used to obtain long term gene silencing of oestrogen regulated gene expression in breast cancer cell lines. More recently,  this system has been used to identify genes implicated in cell growth in response to estrogen. These genes are potential new targets for breast cancer therapy and include LRH-1, a target being developed in collaboration with medicinal chemistry at Imperial College, South Kensington. Further commercial exploitation of Gene ICE has led to the formation of an Imperial College spin-out company, Gene Expression Technologies, and the formation of a new alliance with Cronos Therapeutics Ltd.

 

Recent Papers

 

1. Ali S, Buluwela L, Coombes RC (2011) Antiestrogens and Their Therapeutic Applications in Breast Cancer and Other Diseases. Annu Rev Med. Jan 27. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 21054173

 

2. Laki Buluwela, Tahereh Kamalati, Andy Photiou, Dean A. Heathcote, Michael D. Jones, and Simak Ali (2010). A Simple Laboratory Practical to Illustrate RNA Mediated Gene Interference Using Drosophila Cell Culture. BAMBED Vol. 38, No. 6, pp. 393–399.

 

3. Tolhurst RS, Thomas RS, Kyle FJ, Patel H, Periyasamy M, Photiou A, Thiruchelvam PT, Lai CF, Al-Sabbagh M, Fisher RA, Barry S, Crnogorac-Jurcevic T, Martin LA, Dowsett M, Charles Coombes R, Kamalati T, Ali S, Buluwela L (2010) Transient over-expression of estrogen receptor-alpha in breast cancer cells promotes cell survival and estrogen-independent growth. Breast Cancer Res Treat. Aug 22. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20730598

 

4. Thiruchelvam PT, Lai CF, Hua H, Thomas RS, Hurtado A, Hudson W, Bayly AR, Kyle FJ, Periyasamy M, Photiou A, Spivey AC, Ortlund EA, Whitby RJ, Carroll JS, Coombes RC, Buluwela L, Ali S (2010) The liver receptor homolog-1 regulates estrogen receptor expression in breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat. Jul 6. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20607599

 

5. Ngan S, Stronach EA, Photiou A, Waxman J, Ali S, Buluwela L (2009) Microarray coupled to quantitative RT-PCR analysis of androgen-regulated genes in human LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Oncogene. 2009 May 14;28(19):2051-63.

 

6. Nagy B, Fedonidis C, Photiou A, Wahba J, Paule CC, Ma D, Buluwela L, Nagy I (2009) Capsaicin-sensitive primary sensory neurons in the mouse express N-Acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D. Neuroscience. Jun 30;161(2):572-7.