Biography - Professor Dorothy Bennett

Name: Professor Dorothy C Bennett
Position: Professor of cell biology        
Research centre: Biomedical Sciences
Division: Biomedical Sciences
Room: 01.25, Jenner Wing

Tel: +44 (0)20 8725 5202/5212
email: d.bennett@sgul.ac.uk

External websites
www.sgul.ac.uk/depts/anatomy/pages/dcbhmpg.htm
www.senectustherapeutics.com/

Research interests

Melanocyte, melanoma, naevus, human, mouse; cell culture, primary culture, Cancer progression, Gene expression, transduction, Cell senescence, immortalization, Cell proliferation, cell differentiation, apoptosis, CDKN2A, p16, ARF, Tumour suppression, Cell-based screening.

Biography

I am a professor of cell biology. My past experience has included mathematical modelling of the cell cycle and cell differentiation, and isolation of mammary stem cells from tumours and normal mammary gland, with the demonstration of growth of three-dimensional gland-like structures from the stem cells. We still specialise in isolating new cell lines.  Melanocytes are pigment-producing cells in the skin, hair and eyes that determine their colour; we have established over 120 mouse melanocyte lines carrying different pigmentary mutations. These novel resources have led to many international collaborations and are freely provided to other groups through our Functional Genomics Cell Bank, which has Wellcome Trust programme funding. We also explant cells from human pigmented skin lesions – moles and pigmented cancers (melanoma).  We were among the first groups to demonstrate cell aging in pre-cancerous growths, namely in moles (2005-6).  We currently study how cells escape from this aging process when they become cancerous, and how we might restore it as a novel kind of cancer therapy.

Honours and Awards

• Seiji Memorial Lectureship and Award. (Given in Japan – for "recent and significant advances to the field of pigment cell research".)
• Past President, European Society for Pigment Cell Research.
• Editorial Board, Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research (journal)
• Myron Gordon Award. (International – for "outstanding contributions to research on pigment cells".)
• Past President, International Federation of Pigment Cell Societies
• Founding Member, European Vitiligo Task Force (steering group to oversee standardized diagnostic criteria, clinical trials etc).
• Member of International Steering Committee, Society for Melanoma Research.