Dr. Barry Panaretou

Biography

Barry Panaretou completed his doctoral training at University College London, with a focus on the discovery and characterization of novel heat shock proteins and chaperones localized to the plasma membrane. His group utilizes a tractable genetics yeast model system to develop a deeper understanding of oncoprotein function, particularly the ORAOV1/Lto1 oncoprotein, which protects iron-sulfur clusters from oxidative damage. As cancer cells generate more reactive oxygen species compared to untransformed counterparts, the overexpression of ORAOV1/Lto1 is integral to understanding the mechanisms that promote tumor growth. Furthermore, his laboratory has begun investigating the biology of Candida auris, a drug-resistant emerging fungal pathogen. Initial objectives include developing genetically modified strains sensitized to drugs to facilitate drug discovery and determining the antifungal modes of action of specific antiseptics developed in collaboration with colleagues at the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The Research Drug Discovery Group at King's brings together scientific expertise across various domains, including medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, and aims to tackle antimicrobial resistance and create new anti-biofilm therapeutics through the Multiscale Biofilm Research Hub.

Research Interests