Dr. Charlie Birts

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Dr. Charlie Birts is a Lecturer in Antibody Therapeutics at the University of Southampton, focusing on breast cancer research. He holds a First-Class Honours degree in Biochemistry and Pharmacology from the University of Southampton (2003) and completed his PhD under David Wilton, studying phospholipases in inflammation. He joined Dr. Jeremy Blaydes’ lab at Southampton General Hospital Faculty of Medicine as a postdoctoral researcher in 2007, examining the molecular mechanisms that control metabolic changes in breast cancer cells, particularly interacting with the CtBP protein family. Awarded the Faculty of Medicine Postdoctoral Career Track Award in 2014, he initiated independent research into metabolic interactions in the tumor microenvironment. Dr. Birts was granted the ESPEN Research Fellowship in 2016 to explore the relationship between cancer metabolism and the immune system. In 2018, he became a lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences, funded by Against Breast Cancer, where he develops novel antibody-based therapies aimed at treating secondary breast cancers and investigates immune responses in oncologic contexts. His current work also involves identifying glycan biomarkers for novel therapeutic targets and improving antibody efficacy in treating breast cancer metastasis.

Research Interests

Experience

Lecturer

2018-01-01 — Present

University of Southampton • Southampton

Teaching and researching in the field of Antibody Therapeutics, with a focus on breast cancer.

Postdoctoral Researcher

2007-01-01 — 2014-01-01

Southampton General Hospital Faculty of Medicine • Southampton

Investigated molecular mechanisms of cellular metabolism in breast cancer.

Courses

BIOL3052/6041 Biomedical Technology BIOL1024 Fundamentals of Biochemistry BIOL1025 Fundamentals of Cell Biology and Physiology BIOL1030 Think Like a Scientist BIOL2022 Immunology, Infection and Inflammation BIOL2049 Pharmacology BIOL3013 Molecular Recognition