The Glenn Robert Masson (GRM) Lab is interested in how nutrient deprivation impacts cancer cells, or, more specifically, how amino acid starvation triggers the Integrated Stress Response via the protein kinase GCN2.

We investigate this process in human tissues, cells, and at an atomic level using structural biology. One way we work on this problem is through Hydrogen Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX).

We also develop small molecule drugs to target GCN2.

We are based at the University of Dundee, at the Jacqui Wood Centre for Cancer Research at the School of Medicine, and we are also associated with the Centre of Gene Regulation and Expression at the School of Life Sciences in Dundee.

We are always interested in enthusiastic post-docs or students working with us.

Contact Glenn if you’re interested in joining our lab.

Lab Members

Lyssa Gold

PhD Student

Lyssa joins the lab as a student funded by the Ninewells Cancer Campaign, after completing Masters and Undergraduate Degrees at St Andrews. Lyssa will be investigating how we might develop pan-specific eIF2a kinase inhibitors for use in chemotherapeutic resistant cells.

Vanesa Vinciauskaite

Vanesa Vinciauskaite

PhD Student

Vanesa joins the lab from Maastricht University as a student funded by an MRC iCase DTP student in partnership with AstraZeneca. Vanesa will be looking at developing extremely rapid HDX-MS as a means of screening small molecules against proteins with intrinsic disorder.

Graham Neill

PhD Student

Graham joins the lab working closely with the Drug Discovery Unit Molecular Interactions group down at the School of Life Sciences. He will be using HDX-MS to determine how small molecule activators of GCN2 function and whether their mode of action is distinct from biological activators.

Glenn Masson

Lecturer in Precision Medicine

Glenn is a group leader in the Division of Cellular Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of Dundee . Glenn received his undergraduate degree from the University of Sheffield and his PhD from the University of Cambridge, conducting his research in the Roger Williams’ Lab at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC-LMB). He was a Junior Research Fellow at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge.

Research

We Aim to Understand How Nutrient Signalling Alters Cancer Cell Metabolism
Structural Biology

Structural Biology

We use HDX-MS and Cryo-EM to determine the 3 Dimensional structures of parts of the Integrated Stress Response

Medically Driven

Medically Driven

We work with clinicians and pathologists at Ninewells Hospital to determine how cancers use starvation signalling to drive growth

Drug Discovery

Drug Discovery

We develop novel compounds using our insights gleansed from Structural Biology and patient tissue in collaboration with academic and industrial partners.

News

Glacios Arrives

27/07/22 The new glacious screening microscope has arrived at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee and Vanesa immediately got the ball rolling screening grids

Welcome to the Masson Lab

The Lab is interested in the amino acid starvation response and how that can be co-opted to develop novel treatments. We use all sorts of techniques to do this, not least structural mass spec. News: Read more…