Dr Callum Jones

MChem, PhD, AFHEA

Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health

Postdoctoral Research Associate

c.g.jones@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9210

Room GU02, G Floor, The Medical School

Full contact details

Dr Callum Jones
Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health
Room GU02, G Floor
The Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX

Profile

For enquiries, please contact – SMPH-West-Operational@sheffield.ac.uk

I completed my master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Sheffield between 2013-2017 with my dissertation based in organic and medicinal chemistry.

I completed my PhD at the University of Sheffield between the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Oncology and Metabolism. My thesis was centred on the development of transition metal complexes for their use in photodynamic therapy.

After this I joined the lab of Dr. Spencer Collis whereby my current research lies in using intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields (termed tumour treating fields) to disrupt and sensitise 3D-cultured, patient-derived glioblastoma cells towards chemoradiotherapy. This is in collaboration with Novocure.

Qualifications

2013-2017, Master of Chemistry (MChem), the University of Sheffield
2017-2021, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), The Development of Photodynamic Therapy using Transition Metal Complexes, the University of Sheffield

Research interests

My research aims to develop and test new and innovative combination therapies to treat cancer which offers both higher potency and lower side effects than those currently available.

Currently, my work aims to enhance the treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) using alternating electric fields of intermediate frequency, termed tumour treating fields (TTF). Currently, GBM treatments still possess high relapse rates which are caused by repopulation from tumour edge cells which are often enriched with treatment resistant stem cell like subpopulations that possess a heightened DDR.

Primarily, TTF impose an anti-mitotic effect by disrupting microtubule alignment and their subsequent polymerisation which stalls mitotic progression and disrupts cytokinesis. Secondary lesser known TTF effects also cause DDR downregulation which permitting for potential sensitisation towards chemoradiotherapy and/or DDR inhibitors.

Additionally, I collaborate with the neurology team at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital to acquire, process and collect 3D grown, patient-derived glioma cells for testing and storage in the newly established GBM repository, the Sheffield BioBank. This bank aims to build and store glioma cell lines which model spatial locations, biomarker expression and stem-cell like phenotypes which are all explicit difficulties in globally treating GBM.

Publications

Journal articles

Crowston B, Shipp J, Chekulaev DM, McKenzie L, Jones C, Weinstein J, Meijer AJHM, Bryant HE, Natrajan L, Woodward AW & Ward MD (2019) Heteronuclear d-d and d-f Ru(II)/M complexes [M = Gd(III), Yb(III), Nd(III), Zn(II) or Mn(II)] of ligands combining phenanthroline and aminocarboxylate binding sites: combined relaxivity, cell imaging and photophysical studies. Dalton Transactions, 48(18), 6132-6152. View this article in WRRO
Omar SAE, Scattergood PA, McKenzie LK, Jones C, Patmore NJ, Meijer AJHM, Weinstein JA, Rice CR, Bryant HE & Elliott PIP (2018) Photophysical and Cellular Imaging Studies of Brightly Luminescent Osmium(II) Pyridyltriazole Complexes. Inorganic Chemistry. View this article in WRRO
Aeyad T, Jones C & Coldham I (2018) Preparation of substituted tetrahydro-1-benzazepines by lithiation-trapping. European Journal of Organic Chemistry. View this article in WRRO
Jones C, Martinez-Alonso M, Gagg H, Kirby L, Weinstein JA & Bryant HE () Photostable Iridium(III) Cyclometallated Complex is an Efficient Photosensitizer for Killing Multiple Cancer Cell Lines and 3D Models under Low Doses of Visible Light. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Gagg H, Williams ST, Conroy S, Myers KN, McGarrity-Cottrell C, Jones C, Helleday T, Rantala J, Rominiyi O, Danson SJ , Collis SJ et al () Ex-vivo drug screening of surgically resected glioma stem cells to replace murine avatars and provide personalise cancer therapy for glioblastoma patients. F1000Research, 12, 954-954.
Jones CG, Vanderlinden A, Rominiyi O & Collis SJ () Development and Optimisation of Tumour Treating Fields (TTFields) Delivery within 3D Primary Glioma Stem Cell-like Models of Spatial Heterogeneity. Cancers, 16(5), 863-863.
Martínez-Alonso M, Jones CG, Shipp JD, Chekulaev D, Bryant HE & Weinstein JA () Phototoxicity of cyclometallated Ir(III) complexes bearing a thio-bis-benzimidazole ligand, and its monodentate analogue, as potential PDT photosensitisers in cancer cell killing. JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry.
Vanderlinden A, Jones CG, Myers KN, Rominiyi O & Collis SJ () DNA damage response inhibitors enhance tumour treating fields (TTFields) potency in glioma stem-like cells. British Journal of Cancer.
Gagg H, Williams ST, Conroy S, Myers KN, McGarrity-Cottrell C, Jones C, Helleday T, Rantala J, Rominiyi O, Danson SJ , Collis SJ et al () Ex-vivo drug screening of surgically resected glioma stem cells to replace murine avatars and provide personalise cancer therapy for glioblastoma patients. F1000Research, 12, 954-954.

Grants

RoseTree Foundation PhD funding (2017-2020)
Doctoral Academic Scholarship from the University of Sheffield (2017-2020)
Recipient of The Ray Charles Undergraduate Scholarship (2013-2017)

Teaching activities

Lecturer (Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, MSc)
Participates in teaching in lab-based projects both at pre and post graduate levels
Mentor in the Thesis Mentoring Programme
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy