Prof Antoinette Perry.

Antoinette Perry is an Associate Professor in Cell and Molecular Biology at University College Dublin, where she leads a research team focusing on translational cancer epigenetics; understanding the role of epigenomic aberrations in the pathogenesis of ovarian and prostate cancer and harnessing these aberrations to develop prognostic and predictive biomarkers.

Prior to this, Professor Perry completed her PhD and postdoctoral training at Trinity College Dublin, where she was awarded a Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation in 2011. Prof Perry has a particular interest in studying DNA methylation changes in “liquid biopsies” that can act as surrogates for non-invasive tumour detection and monitoring. Her research has also highlighted the importance of epigenetic dysregulation of the Wnt and IGF axis in prostate cancer, and has identified a number of potential biomarkers for aggressive prostate cancer. Her research in this field led her to be involved in the Movember GAP1 and GAP3 consortia on urinary biomarkers and active surveillance, respectively.

Professor Perry is also co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of EpiCapture, a spin-out from University College Dublin. Their first product under development is EpiCapture-prostate, a urine DNA test for aggressive prostate cancer.