UCL Prostate Cancer Research Centre

UCL Prostate Cancer Research Centre

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Dr Maria Notara

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Prostate Cancer Research Centre
Research Department of Urology
Charles Bell House
Room: 3.11
67-73 Riding House Street
W1W 7EJ

E-mail: m.notara@ucl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7679 9113 (ext. 99113)

Research interests

Stem cells, cancer research

Collaborations

UCL internal:
Dr David Holmes and Professor Tom Duke, London Centre of Nanotechnology
Professor Chris Mason, Department of Biochemical Engineering
Dr Ivan Wall, Department of Biochemical Engineering
Professor Julie Daniels, Institute of Ophthalmology

Previous Work

• 2010-present: Joined PCRC to work on the involvement of prostate stem cells in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH)
• 2005-2010: Worked in understanding the cellular and anatomical properties of the limbal niche (UCL Institute of Ophthalmology)
• 2001-2005: PhD thesis in biocompatibility and hemocomatibility of novel chitosan-alginate copolymers

Current Research

Background

The term Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) is describing a pathological process which is characterised by gradual enlargement of the prostate gland and contributes to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in ageing men. Among other symptoms, BPH causes obstruction of the urethra, leading to a sense of incomplete voiding of the bladder, weak urine flow and recurring bladder infection (cystitis). Although BPH is not a malignant condition like prostate cancer, the associated symptoms are bothersome and can affect the patient’s quality of life, often despite undergoing current lines of treatment.

Multiple causes are believed to contribute to the development of BPH. The action of a population of stem cells residing in the gland is believed to be one of the causes, termed as ‘the stem cell hypothesis’. These are ‘immature’ cells which can change into different cell types and play a vital role to the maintenance of the tissue into a steady state.  However, according to the stem cell hypothesis, their number is increased in BPH tissues and they may contribute to the abnormal growth of the gland that is associated with the condition.

The Project

This project is focusing on defining and characterising the recently described stem cell population residing in prostate stroma, namely the mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The aim is to identify proteins specifically produced by these MSC which can act as ‘markers’ which will allow us to identify and better understand the properties and function of these cells as well as serve as pharmaceutical targets for the therapy of BPH. Candidate markers are investigated in prostate cells from human tissue and a mouse model. By using cell separation techniques we are able to isolate cells that express these proteins and evaluate their properties in terms of their ability to divide giving rise to multiple cell generations (self-renewal), their proliferation and how they respond to androgen hormones.

Selected Publications

Notara M_, Shortt AJ, Galatowicz G, Calder V and Daniels JT IL6 and the Human Limbal Stem Cell Niche: a mediator of epithelial-stromal interaction Stem Cell Research 2010 Nov5 (3):188-200.

Notara M, Shortt AJ, Harris AR and Daniels JT, The impact of age in the structure and phenotype of the Human Limbal Stem Cell Niche, Age, accepted

Notara M, Schrader S and Daniels JT, The porcine limbal epithelial stem cell niche as a new model for the study of transplanted tissue engineered human limbal epithelial cells, Tissue Engineering, 2011 (5-6):741-50

Notara M, Alatza A, Gilfillan J, Harris AR, Levis HJ, Schrader S, Vernon A, Daniels JT. In sickness and in health: Corneal epithelial stem cell biology, pathology and therapy. Exp Eye Res. 2010 (90): 188-195

Notara M and Daniels JT. Characterisation and functional features of a spontaneously transformed Human Corneal Epithelial cell line with stem cell like characteristics. Brain Research Bullettin. 2010 (81):279-286 *

Deshpande P and *Notara M, Bullett N, Daniels JT, Haddow DB, MacNeil S. Development of a surface modified contact lens for transfer of cultured limbal epithelial cells for ocular surface diseases. Tissue Engineering, Part A, (2009) 15(10): 2889-2902 *joined first authors

Notara, M, Scotchford, CA, Grant, DM, Weston, N, Roberts, GAF. Cytocompatibility and Haemocompatibility of a novel Chitosan-Alginate gel System. J Biomed Mater Res A. (2008) 8.

Notara M, Daniels JT, Biological principals and clinical potentials of Limbal Epithelial Stem Cells. Cell and Tissue Research. (2008) 331(1):135-43. Notara M, Bullett NA, Deshpande P, Haddow DB, MacNeil S and Daniels JT. Plasma polymer coated surfaces for serum-free culture of limbal epithelium for ocular surface disease. J. Mat. Sci. Mat. Med. (2007) 18(2):329-38.

Notara M, Haddow DB, MacNeil S, Daniels JT. Use of Human Fibroblasts in a Xenobiotic-Free Culture System for Human Limbal Epithelial Stem Cells. Regenerative Medicine 2007 2(6):919-27

Notara M, Hernandez D, Mason C and Daniels JT, Characterisation and Functionality of Corneal Epithelial Linages derived by Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine, accepted