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- B.Sc. (Pharmacy,
Frankfurt);
- Ph.D. (Medicinal
Chemistry, Wuerzburg);
- D.Sc. (Aston University,
Birmingham);
- Professor
of Biochemical Toxicology
- and co-director of
- "Cancer
Biomarkers and Prevention Group",
- Department
of Oncology, University of Leicester
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Background |
Andy’s
research interests are the preclinical pharmacology and early clinical
evaluation of cancer chemopreventive agents.
This work is based on a lot of expertise in experimental cancer
chemotherapy and anticancer drug toxicity which he gained during many
years as member of the Experimental Cancer Chemotherapy Group at Aston
University (with Malcolm Stevens, John Hickman, Mike Tisdale and other
brilliant colleagues, (1980-1993) and in the MRC Toxicology Unit in
Leicester (1993-2002). |
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Current
focus |
His
current focus is on the potential benefit to humans of consumption of
diet-derived agents such as curcumin and resveratrol in terms of
delaying or preventing cancer. The
work of Andy’s group is “translational”, i.e. it spans experiments
in the research laboratory and clinical investigations at the patient’s
bedside.
Another important facet of his work is to find out if
potential cancer chemopreventive agents taken as tablets or food
additives are truly harmless. |
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Strategies |
The translational work is
conducted in close collaboration with Prof. Will Steward (Codirector of
Cancer Biomarkers and Prevention Group and Head of Clinical Division of
Oncology) in a manner which integrates analytical chemistry with
pharmacology. Andy employs
a variety of research strategies and methods encompassing cancer cells
in culture, models of carcinogenesis and studies of pharmacokinetics and
potential biomarkers of biologcial activity.
Putative cancer chemopreventive agents need to be explored
eventually in humans, and an especially exciting aspect of the group’s
work portfolio is the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic evaluation of
such agents in healthy volunteers and/or cancer patients.
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Mentorship |
Andy
mentors 4 postdoctoral fellows, and has supervised many Ph.D. and M.D.
students and research assistants. In
his mentorship he is especially keen to foster an atmosphere in the
group which, while embracing a hard work ethics, is very conducive to
creating scientifc “fun”. |
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 - Andy Gescher and some of his research associates
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When
he is not mentoring his research associates or performs his duties as
member of committees in the context of the UK Medicines Control Agency,
CR-UK or the EORTC Pharmacolgy and Molecular Mechanisms Group, he
invariably listens to some hot modern jazz or runs or bikes around
Charnwood Forest to keep fit. |
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