Matthews, Helen, Dr

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Dr Helen Matthews

School of Biosciences

Research Fellow

h.k.matthews@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2310

B2-05, Florey Building

Full contact details

Dr Helen Matthews
School of Biosciences
B2-05
Florey Building
Western Bank
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S10 2TN

Profile

2021 – present Wellcome Trust/Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellow, University of ��«Ӱҵ
2017 – 2021 Senior Research Associate, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology & The Francis Crick Institute, London
2014 Visiting Scientist, Institut Curie, Paris
2009 – 2017 Postdoctoral Research Associate, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, London. Advisor: Buzz Baum
2004 – 2008 PhD University College London. Advisor: Roberto Mayor
2000 – 2004 MSci Imperial College London

Research interests

Our research group is focussed on understanding how cells divide in normal tissues and during cancer development and metastasis. To do this we take a multidisciplinary approach, combining imaging and cell biology with biophysical techniques to measure mechanical forces associated with cell division.

Cell shape and mechanics during cell division

Cells go through a series of dynamic shape changes when they divide. These include cell rounding and stiffening in early mitosis and separation into two daughter cells at cytokinesis. We want to understand how these changes are co-ordinated by dynamic regulation of the actin cytoskeleton throughout cell division. We are particularly interested in how cells divide within epithelial tissues where they must maintain attachment with neighbouring cells to preserve tissue integrity and organisation.

Cell division in cancer

Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell proliferation and division. We are investigating how genetic mutations in cancer cells affect the cell division process. In recent work, we found that Ras oncogenes change cell shape and mechanics during mitosis (Matthews et al. 2020). We are now exploring how changes to cell division induced by the oncogenic kRas promote the formation of tumours during the early stages of pancreatic cancer development.

We are also interested in how the modified micro-environment within a tumour affects cancer cell division. Tumours are usually far stiffer than healthy tissue due to cell crowding and the deposition of extra-cellular matrix. We use micro-fabrication techniques to mimic some of the mechanical stresses (eg. compression, stretch) found in tumours to study how these conditions impact cell division.

Publications

Journal articles

Ganguli S, Wyatt T, Nyga A, Lawson RH, Meyer T, Baum B & Matthews HK (2023) . Curr Biol.
Nyga A, Ganguli S, Matthews HK & Baum B (2022) . Trends in Cell Biology.
Nyga A, Muñoz JJ, Dercksen S, Fornabaio G, Uroz M, Trepat X, Baum B, Matthews HK & Conte V (2021) . Science Advances, 7(42).
Ganguli S & Matthews HK (2021) . Current Biology, 31(15), R957-R959.
Monster JL, Donker L, Vliem MJ, Win Z, Matthews HK, Cheah JS, Yamada S, de Rooij J, Baum B & Gloerich M (2021) . Journal of Cell Biology, 220(5).
Taubenberger AV, Baum B & Matthews HK (2020) . Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 8.
Matthews HK, Ganguli S, Plak K, Taubenberger AV, Win Z, Williamson M, Piel M, Guck J & Baum B (2020) . Developmental Cell, 52(5), 563-573.e3.
Dix CL, Matthews HK, Uroz M, McLaren S, Wolf L, Heatley N, Win Z, Almada P, Henriques R, Boutros M , Trepat X et al (2018) . Developmental Cell, 45(1), 132-145.e3.
Mchedlishvili N, Matthews HK, Corrigan A & Baum B (2018) . BMC Biology, 16.
Cadart C, Zlotek-Zlotkiewicz E, Le Berre M, Piel M & Matthews HK (2014) . Developmental Cell, 29(2), 159-169.
Matthews HK & Baum B (2012) . BioEssays, 34(12), 1017-1020.
Matthews HK, Delabre U, Rohn JL, Guck J, Kunda P & Baum B (2012) . Developmental Cell, 23(2), 371-383.
Carmona-Fontaine C, Matthews H & Mayor R (2008) . Cell Adhesion & Migration, 2(4), 240-242.
Carmona-Fontaine C, Matthews HK, Kuriyama S, Moreno M, Dunn GA, Parsons M, Stern CD & Mayor R (2008) . Nature, 456(7224), 957-961.
Matthews HK, Broders-Bondon F, Thiery JP & Mayor R (2008) . Developmental Dynamics, 237(11), 3404-3409.
Matthews HK, Marchant L, Carmona-Fontaine C, Kuriyama S, Larraín J, Holt MR, Parsons M & Mayor R (2008) . Development, 135(10), 1771-1780.
Matthews HK, Bertoli C & de Bruin RAM () . Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.

Preprints

Ganguli S, Wyatt T, Meyer T, Baum B & Matthews HK (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Mchedlishvili N, Matthews HK, Corrigan A & Baum B (2017) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

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School of Biosciences

School of Biosciences

Dr Helen Matthews

Journal articles

Preprints

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