About our research interests
There is a continuing requirement for increased understanding of the molecular events underlying the development of cancer.
Deregulated apoptosis is a primary cause of tumour development, therefore an increased understanding of this processes will lead to development of novel therapies which target components of this deregulated pathway. In addition, cancer cells are highly adept at surviving under conditions of physiological stress. The autophagy pathway has been identified as a critical cell survival pathway that underpins cellular metabolism. In tumours, deregulation of autophagy frequently occurs contributing to both establishment of neoplastic disease through genomic instability and survival of cancer cells. Autophagy has thus acquired an emerging interest in cancer research offering novel therapeutic targets.
Our research programme seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying apoptotic cell death and how deregulated apoptosis leads to cancer. We aim to develop novel therapies which target components of this deregulated pathway. Furthermore, we are interested in determining how tumour resistance to chemotherapy relates to cell survival through autophagic mechanisms.
Dr Zisterer has published over eighty research articles in highly ranked international journals including British Journal of Cancer, Journal of Biological Chemistry and Cancer Research. To date, she has supervised or co-supervised 15 PhD students to completion. She has secured over €6.2 million in research funding from a variety of sources including the European Union, Science Foundation Ireland and the Health Research Board. She is currently project coordinator of an international, inter-sectoral Horizons 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie innovative PhD training network entitled Training in Cancer mechanisms and Therapeutics (TRACT), which has secured funding of €2.9 million.