Dr. John Christianson

Biography

John Christianson is a Professor at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology, and Musculoskeletal Sciences. His research primarily focuses on the cellular mechanisms of protein quality control and how they relate to cancer, particularly multiple myeloma. The laboratory investigates how eukaryotic cells sense, respond to, and resolve cellular stress, ensuring proteome fidelity. Christianson has a long-standing interest in the mechanisms of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) associated degradation (ERAD) and the ubiquitin-proteasome system, essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Through integrative approaches combining proteomics, cell biology, functional genomics, and biochemistry, his team identifies key ERAD components necessary for cellular adaptation under stress conditions. Understanding how cancer cells exploit these mechanisms to survive and proliferate under adverse conditions is a critical theme in their research. He aims to develop pharmacological strategies targeting these pathways to interfere with cancer progression, making cells more susceptible to apoptosis. Additionally, Christianson's efforts focus on characterizing ubiquitin ligases and their role in cellular stress response.

Research Interests