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Ms Gael Noel Neh Neba Ambe

Job: PhD student

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: Leicester School of Pharmacy

Address: ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH

T: N/A

E: neba.neh@my365.dmu.ac.uk

 

Personal profile

Gael Neba is a current PhD student working on anticancer drug development in the Leicester School of Pharmacy, ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bamenda, Cameroon. 

She later went on to complete her MSc in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ. During her Masters, she carried out dissertation work evaluating the effects of lyophilisation on the enzymatic activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are the main drug-metabolising enzymes in the liver. This study, coupled with her interest in anticancer drug development served as inspiration and paved the way for her PhD research.

Currently, Gael's PhD research focuses on how polymethoxy flavones can be used as tumour controlling agents. She focuses on the anticancer properties of chrysosplenetin and nobiletin, all important bioactive compounds found in Artemisia annua, a herb traditionally used as medicine to treat fever, inflammation, and malaria in many parts of the world.

Research interests/expertise

  • Anticancer research
  • Polymethoxyflavones
  • Natural product chemistry
  • Drug metabolism
  • Molecular/cell biology
  • Cytochrome P450s

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Biochemistry - University Of Bamenda (UBa), Cameroon 
MSc Pharmaceutical Biotechnology - ²ÝÁñÊÓƵ

PhD project

Title

The potential of polymethoxy flavones as tumour controlling agents

Abstract

Flavonoids comprise a class of natural polyphenolic compounds with multiple anticancer properties. Nobiletin is a polymethoxy flavonoid, and a major constituent of citrus fruits. It is particularly abundant in the peel compared to the other edible parts of the fruit. This compound has been examined extensively due to its potential cancer preventative activity. Nobiletin caused G2/M arrest in breast cancer and was reported to downregulate the enzymatic activity of MMP–9 and prevent the TGF–β triggered migration and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Moreover, nobiletin inhibited tumor angiogenesis in MCF7 breast cancer cells while it concomitantly decreased invasion, motility and migration via MMP–2 and MMP–9 downregulation in U2OS osteosarcoma cells.

Name of supervisor(s)