Helen Roberts

Dr Helen Roberts is an Associate Professor in Skeletal Cancer Research at Middlesex University, UK, with appointments in the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Department of Natural Sciences. She leads research on osteosarcoma chemoresistance and metastasis mechanisms, combining molecular biology, epigenetics, and translational oncology. Her roles include Programme Leadership for the Science & Technology Foundation Programme and directs Biosciences & Quality Enhancement for Natural Sciences.

Education: PhD from University of Glasgow, postdoctoral training at University of Sheffield, KU Leuven (Belgium), and Barts & The London School of Medicine. Expertise spans epigenetic biomarkers in cancer, critical illness-induced bone loss, and veterinary oncology collaborations.

Research focuses on: 1) Osteosarcoma metastasis and drug resistance pathways, 2) Autophagy regulation in cancer cells, 3) Bone-tumor interactions, 4) Biomaterials for bone regeneration. Key methods include CRISPR/Cas9 knockout, microRNA profiling, and machine learning-based image analysis.

Grant funding includes £223,000 from Willberry's Research for osteosarcoma projects, plus awards from PetPlanCharitable Trust and Bone Cancer Research Trust. Collaborations involve Royal Veterinary College and Genomics England.

Supervised 15+ PhD/MRes students, with current advisees working on migratory tumor bodies, ATR inhibition strategies, and canine osteosarcoma models. Editorial roles include Frontiers in Veterinary Science (Oncology) and the Primary Bone Cancer Metastasis Network.

Labs/Teams: Coordinates the Skeletal Cancer Research track at Middlesex, participates in the Bloomsbury Centre for Skeletal Research, and co-leads the PBCMetNet pre-clinical collaboration network.