James Dunford
Senior Research Associate
- Departmental Health and Safety Officer
- Senior Radiation Protection officer
My first degree was in Biochemistry, which I completed in Sheffield. I then moved to the Dept. of Human Metabolism and Clinical Biochemistry at the Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield to complete my PhD, which was on the protein kinases involved in Interleukin 1 signal transduction. I changed direction a little and spent almost 4 years at the University of Sunderland as a Molecular Gerontologist, investigating changes in gene expression associated with the ageing process. It was after this that I became interested in bone biology, and I had the opportunity to move to the Bone Group at Aberdeen University to work on the mechanism of action of the nitrogen containing bisphosphonates (N-BP), which are the major class of compounds used to treat disease characterised by loss of bone. This work involved the characterisation of the molecular target of the N-BP, the mevalonate pathway enzyme Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Synthase, and kindled my current interest in protein biochemistry.
In 2005 I moved to Oxford to the Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences at the Botnar Research Centre, to work with Prof Graham Russell and Prof Udo Oppermann of the SGC and have been working here ever since.
Key publications
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The relationship between the chemistry and biological activity of the bisphosphonates.
Journal article
Ebetino FH. et al, (2011), Bone, 49, 20 - 33
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Molecular targets of the nitrogen containing bisphosphonates: the molecular pharmacology of prenyl synthase inhibition.
Journal article
Dunford JE., (2010), Curr pharm des, 16, 2961 - 2969
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The inhibition of human farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase by nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates. Elucidating the role of active site threonine 201 and tyrosine 204 residues using enzyme mutants.
Journal article
Tsoumpra MK. et al, (2015), Bone, 81, 478 - 486
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Targeting a uniquely nonspecific prenyl synthase with bisphosphonates to combat cryptosporidiosis.
Journal article
Artz JD. et al, (2008), Chem biol, 15, 1296 - 1306
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Structure-activity relationships among the nitrogen containing bisphosphonates in clinical use and other analogues: time-dependent inhibition of human farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase.
Journal article
Dunford JE. et al, (2008), J med chem, 51, 2187 - 2195
Recent publications
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The pRb/RBL2-E2F1/4-GCN5 axis regulates cancer stem cell formation and G0 phase entry/exit by paracrine mechanisms.
Journal article
Chang C-H. et al, (2024), Nat commun, 15
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Structural and non-coding variants increase the diagnostic yield of clinical whole genome sequencing for rare diseases.
Journal article
Pagnamenta AT. et al, (2023), Genome med, 15
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BRD9-SMAD2/3 Orchestrates Stemness and Tumorigenesis in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.
Journal article
Feng Y. et al, (2023), Gastroenterology
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HSD3B1 is an oxysterol 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in human placenta.
Journal article
Dickson A. et al, (2023), Open biol, 13
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Discovery of a Potent and Selective Naphthyridine-Based Chemical Probe for Casein Kinase 2
Journal article
Davis-Gilbert ZW. et al, (2023), Acs medicinal chemistry letters