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Dr. Sharon O'Toole

Snr Experimental Officer (Obstetrics)

 shotoole@tcd.ie

 3531896 2106

Senior Research Fellow (Histopathology)

 (3531896) 2106


Biography

Sharon O'Toole is a senior research fellow in Trinity College Dublin working in the area of ovarian cancer. She qualified with a BSc Hons in UCG in 1994 and then completed an MSc Biotechnology in 1996. Having worked in industry she then returned to research and completed a PhD in Trinity College in 2003. She has gained enormous experience in the area of ovarian cancer and has played a major role in the development of studies in gynaecological cancer. She was instrumental in establishing the DISCOVARY consortium which is a multidisciplinary and trans- institutional consortium dedicated to addressing the problems of ovarian and uterine cancer. The consortium manages the largest ovarian cancer bioresource in the country. The consortium has now merged to form INNOVATION- the Irish National Network for Ovarian Cancer Collaboration which has brought together the medical, research and charity organisations involved in ovarian cancer in Ireland. Her research interests centre around diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and understanding the fundamental biology of the metastatic cascade and circulating tumour cells. She has been successful in identifying diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer and her ultimate aim is to translate these into the clinic. She has presented at both national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. She works closely with the 3 ovarian cancer charities in Ireland whose mission is to improve outcomes for ovarian cancer in Ireland. She was part of the organising committee of the first World Ovarian Cancer Day on May 8th in 2013 and this has now become an annual event.

Research Tags

  Gynaecology oncology   Obstetrics/Gynecology   Oestregens in age related urogenital diseases

Research Projects

 Identification of novel biomarkers in recurrent/chemoresistant ovarian cancer
 A Consortium of researchers dedicated to understanding and treatment of ovarian cancer: The DISCOVARY Consortium
 Chemosensitivity testing in gynaecological cancers

Languages

Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Fluent Medium Medium

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Member of European Association for Cancer Research. Member of Irish Association for Cancer Research
-Co-ordinator of INNOVATION- the Irish National Network for Ovarian Cancer Collaboration.
-Executive Committee of the Irish Society of Gynaecological Oncology (ISGO)
-Member of the European Society for Gynaecological Oncology (ESGO)
-Member of Cancer Trials Ireland
Kalachand RD, O'Riain C, Toomey S, Carr A, Timms KM, O'Toole S, Madden S, Bates M, O'Leary JJ, Gleeson N, O'Donnell D, Grogan L, Breathnach O, Farrelly A, Stordal B, Hennessy BT., Prevalence of tumor BRCA1 and BRCA2 dysfunction in unselected patients with ovarian cancer., Obstetrics & gynecology science, 63, (5), 2020, p643-654 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Bates Mar, Furlong Fion, Gallagher Michael F, Spillane Cathy D, McCann Amand, O'Toole Sharo, O'Leary John J, Too MAD or not MAD enough: The duplicitous role of the spindle assembly checkpoint protein MAD2 in cancer, 469, 2020, p11 - 21, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  URL
O'Toole SA, Spillane C, Huang Y, Fitzgerald MC, Ffrench B, Mohamed B, Ward M, Gallagher M, Kelly T, O'Brien C, Ruttle C, Bogdanska A, Martin C, Mullen D, Connolly E, McGarrigle SA, Kennedy J, O'Leary JJ., Circulating tumour cell enumeration does not correlate with Miller-Payne grade in a cohort of breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy., Breast cancer research and treatment, 181, (3), 2020, p571-580 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Kalachand RD, Stordal B, Madden S, Chandler B, Cunningham J, Goode EL, Ruscito I, Braicu EI, Sehouli J, Ignatov A, Yu H, Katsaros D, Mills GB, Lu KH, Carey MS, Timms KM, Kupryjanczyk J, Rzepecka IK, Podgorska A, McAlpine JN, Swisher EM, Bernards SS, O'Riain C, O'Toole S, O'Leary JJ, Bowtell DD, Thomas DM, Prieske K, Joosse SA, Woelber L, Chaudhry P, Häfner N, Runnebaum IB, Hennessy BT., BRCA1 promoter methylation and clinical outcomes in ovarian cancer: an individual patient data meta-analysis., Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2020, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Norris LA, Ward MP, O'Toole SA, Marchocki Z, Ibrahim N, Khashan AS, Abu Saadeh F, Gleeson N., A risk score for prediction of venous thromboembolism in gynecologic cancer: The Thrombogyn score., Res Pract Thromb Haemost, 4, (5), 2020, p848-859 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Liong S, Oseghale O, To EE, Brassington K, Erlich JR, Luong R, Liong F, Brooks R, Martin C, O'Toole S, Vinh A, O'Neill LAJ, Bozinovski S, Vlahos R, Papagianis PC, O'Leary JJ, Brooks DA, Selemidis S., Influenza A virus causes maternal and fetal pathology via innate and adaptive vascular inflammation in mice., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
White, Christine M., Bakhiet, Salih, Bates, Mark, Ruttle, Carmel, Pilkington, Loretto J., Keegan, Helen, O"Toole, Sharon A., Sharp, Linda, O"Kelly, Ruth, Tewari, Prerna, Flannelly, Grainne, Martin, Cara M., O"Leary, John J., Exposure to tobacco smoke measured by urinary nicotine metabolites increases risk of p16/Ki-67 co-expression and high-grade cervical neoplasia in HPV positive women: A two year prospective study, Cancer Epidemiology, 68, 2020, p101793 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Cluxton, C.D. and Spillane, C. and O†Toole, S.A. and Sheils, O. and Gardiner, C.M. and O†Leary, J.J., Suppression of Natural Killer cell NKG2D and CD226 anti-tumour cascades by platelet cloaked cancer cells: Implications for the metastatic cascade, PLoS ONE, 14, (3), 2019, Notes: [cited By 2], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Marchocki Z, Norris L, O'Toole S, Gleeson N, Abu Saadeh F, Patients' experience and compliance with extended low molecular weight heparin prophylaxis post-surgery for gynaecological cancer. A prospective observational study, International Journal of Gynaecological Cancer. , 2019, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Jose, B. and Vijayaraghavan, R.K. and Kent, L. and O'Toole, S. and O'Leary, J. and Forster, R.J., Tunable metallic nanostructures using 3D printed nanosphere templates, Electrochemistry Communications, 98, 2019, p106-109 , Notes: [cited By 0], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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O'Leary JJ, White C, Spillane C, Naik, P, O'Brien, R, Reynolds, S, Pham, T, Pilkington, L, Sharkey Ochoa, I, Bolger, N, Barry O'Crowley, J, Tewari, P, O'Toole, S, Sweeney, M, Keegan, H, Normand, C, Sharp, L, Flannelly, G, Martin, CM. , Cervical screening: A new way forward (tests of risk and tests of disease) [version 1; referees: 1 approved, 1 approved with reservations]., HRB Open Research, 1, (3), 2018, Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Ibrahim N, Norris L, O'Toole S, McHugh T, Gleeson N, Does extended thromboprophylaxis help reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism in gynaecological cancer patients?, Thrombosis Research, 7th Internation Conference onal Thrombosis & Hemostatis Issues in Cancer,, Bergamo Italy, May 2014, edited by A Falanga, B. Brenner, F, Rickles , 133, (Suppl 2), Elsevier, 2014, Published Abstract, PUBLISHED
Laios A, O'Toole SA, Sheppard BL, Gleeson NC, D'Arcy T, McGuinness EPJ, Ring M, Sheils O, Smyth P, O'Leary JJ., Recurrent ovarian cancer cDNA signatures., Centenary Meeting of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland , Manchester, July 2006, 2006, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED
CM Martin, K Astbury, R Henfrey, O Sheils, M Gallagher, C Heffron, C Logan, SA O'Toole, JJ O'Leary, miRNA expression signatures in cervical cancer, Journal of RNAi and Gene Silencing, RNAi2006: Advances in RNA Interference Research, St Anne's College, Oxford, United Kingdom, March 2006, 2, (2), 2006, Meeting Abstract, PUBLISHED
Laios A, O'Toole SA, Sheppard BL, Gleeson NC, D'Arcy T, McGuinness EPJ, Ring M, Sheils O, O'Leary JJ. (ed.), Irish Association for Cancer Research, Galway, Ireland, March 2006, 2006, Proceedings of a Conference, PRESENTED
A Laios, SA O'Toole, B Sheppard, N Gleeson, T D'Arcy, E PJ McGuinness, M Ring, O Sheils and JJ O'Leary. , Transcriptome profiling of primary and recurrent ovarian cancers, Junior Obstetrics and Gynaecology Society, Dublin, Nov 2005, 2005, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED
O'Toole S, Laios A, Sheppard B, Smyth P, O'Regan E, Sheils O, O'Leary J. , Expression profiling of endometrial stromal cells treated with estradiol and phytoestrogens. , 20th European Congress of Pathology, Paris, Sept 2005, 2005, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED
O'Toole SA, Laios A, Sheppard BL, Gleeson NC, D'Arcy T, Mc Guinness EPJ, Bonnar J, Sheils O, O'Leary JJ. , Angiogenesis markers in ovarian cancer act as prognostic markers but not indicators of chemotherapy response, Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, Newcastle, UK, July 2005, 2005, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED
O'Toole SA, Laios A, Sheppard BL, Gleeson NC, D'Arcy T, Mc Guinness EPJ, Bonnar J, Sheils O, O'Leary JJ. , Potential Predictors of Chemotherapy Response in Ovarian Cancer., Irish gynaecological oncology society, Belfast, 2005, 2005, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED
O'Toole SA, Sheppard BL, D'Arcy T, Mc Guinness EPJ, Gleeson NC, Bonnar J, Sheils O, O'Leary JJ. , Angiogenesis in Ovarian Cancer does not predict response to chemotherapy., Irish Association for Cancer Research, Kilkenny, Ireland, March 2005, 2005, Meeting Abstract, PRESENTED

  

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Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

-Early diagnostics in ovarian cancer -Chemoresistance in ovarian cancer Chemosensitivity/Resistance testing of malignant gynaecological tumours -Examination of Fibrinolytic systems of malignant gynaecological tumours -Examination of angiogenesis in ovarian cancers. -Examination of multidrug resistance genes in gynaecological tumours. -Estrogen regulated genes in endometrial cancer. -PhytoSERMs and Endometrial Cancer