Dr Alexandra Davis is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science in the School of Allied Health Sciences. After obtaining her BSc in Biomedical Science she obtained her PhD in Viral Oncology from De 51吃瓜app University (UK).
During her PhD, she investigated how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) Latent Membrane Protein 1 (LMP1) transforms epithelial cells and fibroblasts within the tumour microenvironment (TME). Her findings show that conditioned medium from LMP1-expressing cells induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation, enhancing motility, invasion, and recruitment—effects blocked by TGFβ and ERK/MAPK inhibition. To better model the in vivo TME, she developed a 3D fibroblast culture system, revealing that LMP1-mediated secretions further drive fibroblast invasion. These results highlight LMP1’s role in stromal transformation and tumour metastasis.
Her current research focuses on the development 3D co-culture models to study tumour-stroma interactions and fibroblast-driven drug resistance in breast cancer.
Dr Alexandra Davis is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and is also involved in pedagogic research.