Dr. Francis Mprah Barnieh

Biography

Dr Francis Mprah Barnieh is a Wellcome Research Fellow and an early-career cancer pharmacologist at the University of Bradford. His research focuses on tumour hypoxia, the DNA damage response (DDR), and the development of tumour-selective therapies for aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers. His work integrates mechanistic biology with innovative drug development strategies to identify and exploit tumour-specific vulnerabilities.

He obtained a First-Class Honours BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Ghana, followed by an MSc in Cancer Pharmacology (Distinction) and a PhD in Cancer Drug Discovery & Pharmacology from the University of Bradford. His doctoral research focused on the development of protease-activated peptide prodrugs targeting DDR pathways, leading to the co-invention of a CD13-activated drug delivery platform and establishing his expertise in translational drug design.

Following his PhD, Dr Barnieh conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics, where he developed advanced analytical and high-throughput screening platforms to study drug metabolism and glycosylation-related targets. In 2021, he secured a competitive UKRI-UoB STARTER Fellowship, enabling him to initiate independent research on tumour-specific glycosylation of CD13. He was subsequently appointed Research Fellow, where his work with Professor El-Khamisy on cancer dormancy led to the discovery of a novel therapeutic target and a first-in-class treatment strategy, now protected by an international patent.

In 2026, Dr Barnieh was awarded the prestigious Wellcome Accelerator Award and now leads an independent research programme focused on understanding how cancer cells adapt to low-oxygen (hypoxic) microenvironments and how these adaptations drive treatment resistance and disease recurrence. He has shown that hypoxic cancer cells rely on ATR kinase for survival, providing proof-of-concept that hypoxia-associated vulnerabilities can be selectively targeted without harming normal tissue. Building on this, his group is developing targeted strategies to inhibit ATR activity in hypoxic tumour cells, enabling selective eradication of resistant tumour populations, alongside the development of hypoxia-activated, tumour-selective DDR-targeting therapeutics.

In addition to his research, Dr Barnieh plays an active leadership role within the cancer research community. He has served as ECR Representative on the Executive Committee, British Association for Cancer Research, where he led the inaugural Trailblazers conference and contributed to national initiatives supporting early-career researchers. He also serves as a mentor to several early-career researchers of Black ethnicity across the UK, supporting diversity and inclusion within the scientific community.

Dr Barnieh is committed to mentorship, teaching, and community engagement. He has supervised numerous MSc and MPharm students, co-supervises doctoral researchers, and contributes to teaching in cancer biology and drug discovery. He also serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals and major funding bodies, reflecting his growing international recognition.

Professional activities

Publications