Professor Klaus Pors,Professor of Chemical Biology
Information about Professor Klaus Pors at the University of Bradford.
- School of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences
(Faculty of Life Sciences) - Email:
- k.pors1@bradford.ac.uk
- Telephone:
- +44 1274 236482
Biography
Klaus Pors graduated with a BEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Southern Denmark (Odense, Denmark) in 1998 and completed his studies in Medicinal Chemistry at the UCL School of Pharmacy in 2002. Both his PhD and Postdoc (UCL School of Pharmacy 2002-05) was focused on the discovery of anticancer agents and hypoxia-activated prodrugs to treat solid tumours. In 2005 he relocated to Bradford to take up a Yorkshire Cancer Research-funded lecturer and team leader position at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics with focus on the discovery of tumour-selective therapies. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013 and to Professor of Chemical Biology in 2021.
Research
Research in the Pors group is focussed on research at the interface between chemistry and biology. Traditional approaches to drug discovery such as target oriented synthesis and medicinal chemistry are used to develop focussed libraries of small molecules that are entirely new chemical entities or re-engineered versions of natural products. In addition, his group uses diversity-oriented synthesis to generate collections of small molecules of structural diverse architecture, which can be used to probe new chemical space or known biological pathways that are not well understood.In the context of cancer, novel therapeutics are designed to (i) exploit enzymatic and/or physiological conditions found unique to the tumour microenvironment or (ii) circumvent or exploit resistance mechanisms present in malignant tissue. Specific projects include:1) Development of tumour-selective prodrugs using bio-oxidative or bioreductive mode of activation.
2) Development of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) inhibitors and prodrug derivatives.
3) Development of aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) inhibitors and prodrug derivatives.
4) Development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
In addition, our group is also interested in developing molecular fluorescent probes that can be used to stain fixed or live cells with wide applications in routine and research laboratories utilising flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging methods.
Current research team include: Dr Sneha Swaroop (research fellow), postgraduate students Elisabet Battle, Zoë Jukes, Enric Arasanz Picher, Abdullahi Magaji Dauda, Enrica Denasio and Sam MacKenzie (intern student from York).
Our research us supported by Breast Cancer Now, Secondary1st, The Schlumberger Foundation, Kidscan, ICT Doctoral Training Centre and University of Bradford (International Development Fund).
Teaching
Details on teaching interests, highlights and modules are available for Professor Klaus Pors as follows:
Teaching interests
Cancer ResearchChemical Biology
Drug Discovery
Drug Metabolism
Enzymology
Fluorophores for imaging and tracking
Hypoxia
Medicinal Chemistry
Stem Cells
Professional activities
Information about education, employment and areas of particular interest for Professor Klaus Pors is as follows:
Education
- UCL - PhD
- University of Southern Denmark - BEng
Publications
There are 55 publications involving or that are attributed to Professor Klaus Pors. They are listed as:
- peer reviewed journal (49)
- reviews (6)
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Title | Year | Publication name | Journal | Volume | Pages | Authors | Editors | ISSN | Publisher | DOI | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design and synthesis of a DNA-crosslinking azinomycin analogue | 2005 | Pors, Klaus; Casely-Hayford, M.A.; Hartley, J.A.; Patterson, Laurence H.; Searcey, M. | |||||||||
| Development of nonsymmetrical 1,4-disubstituted anthraquinones that are potently active against cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells | 2005 | Teesdale-Spittle, P.H.; Pors, Klaus; Brown, R.; Patterson, Laurence H.; Plumb, J.A. | |||||||||
| Truncated azinomycin analogues intercalate into DNA. | 2005 | Casely-Hayford, M.A.; Pors, Klaus; Patterson, Laurence H.; Gerner, C.; Neidle, S.; Searcey, M. | |||||||||
| Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel chloroethylaminoanthraquinones with potent cytotoxic activity against cisplatin-resistant tumor cells | 2004 | Pors, Klaus; Paniwnyk, Z.; Patterson, Laurence H.; Ruparelia, K.C.; Hartley, J.A.; Kelland, L.R. | |||||||||
| Alchemix: a novel alkylating anthraquinone with potent activity against anthracycline- and cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer. | 2003 | Pors, Klaus; Paniwnyk, Z.; Teesdale-Spittle, P.H.; Plumb, J.A.; Willmore, E.; Austin, C.A.; Patterson, Laurence H. | |||||||||
| Synthesis of DNA-Directed Pyrrolidinyl and Piperidinyl Confined Alkylating Chloroalkylaminoanthraquinones: Potential for Development of Tumor-Selective N-Oxides | 2006 | Patterson, Laurence H.; Pors, Klaus; Shnyder, Steven D.; Teesdale-Spittle, P.H.; Hartley, J.A.; Searcey, M.; Zloh, M. | |||||||||
| Chemical and Biological Explorations of the Family of CC-1065 and the Duocarmycin Natural Products. | 2009 | Ghosh, Nandita; Sheldrake, Helen M.; Searcey, M.; Pors, Klaus | |||||||||
| Modification of the duocarmycin pharmacophore enables CYP1A1 targeting for biological activity | 2011 | Pors, Klaus; Loadman, Paul M.; Shnyder, Steven D.; Sutherland, Mark H.; Sheldrake, Helen M.; Guino, M.; Kiakos, K.; Hartley, J.A.; Searcey, M.; Patterson, Laurence H. | |||||||||
| Antitumor activity of a duocarmycin analogue rationalized to be metabolically activated by cytochrome P450 1A1 in human transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder | 2013 | Sutherland, Mark H.; Gill, Jason H.; Loadman, Paul M.; Laye, Jonathan P.; Sheldrake, Helen M.; Illingworth, Nicola A.; Alandas, Mohammed N.; Cooper, Patricia A.; Searcey, M.; Pors, Klaus; Shnyder, Steven D.; Patterson, Laurence H. | |||||||||
| Colon cancer-specific cytochrome P450 2W1 converts duocarmycin analogues into potent tumor cytotoxins | 2013 | Travica, S.; Pors, Klaus; Loadman, Paul M.; Shnyder, Steven D.; Johansson, I.; Alandas, Mohammed N.; Sheldrake, Helen M.; Mkrtchian, S.; Patterson, Laurence H.; Ingelman-Sundberg, M. | |||||||||
| Polysialic acid sustains cancer cell survival and migratory capacity in a hypoxic environment | 2016 | Scientific Reports | 6 | 33026 | Elkashef, Sara M.; Allison, Simon J.; Sadiq, Maria; Basheer, Haneen A.; Ribeiro Morais, Goreti; Loadman, Paul M.; Pors, Klaus; Falconer, Robert A. | 10.1038/srep33026 | |||||
| The changing landscape of cancer drug discovery: a challenge to the medicinal chemist of tomorrow | 2009 | Drug Discovery Today | 14 | 1045 - 1050 | Pors, Klaus; Goldberg, F.W.; Leamon, C.P.; Rigby, A.C.; Snyder, S.A.; Falconer, Robert A. | ||||||
| Rational development of novel activity probes for the analysis of human cytochromes P450 | 2016 | ChemMedChem | Sellars, J.D.; Skipsey, M.; Sadr-ul-Shaheed; Gravell, Sebastian; Abumansour, Hamza M.A.; Kashtl, Ghasaq; Irfan, Jawaria; Khot, Mohamed; Pors, Klaus; Patterson, Laurence H.; Sutton, Chris W. | ||||||||
| Refining the chemical toolbox to be fit for educational and practical purpose for drug discovery in the 21st Century | 2015 | Lolli, M.L.; Narramore, S.; Fishwick, C.W.; Pors, Klaus | |||||||||
| The dual-acting chemotherapeutic agent Alchemix induces cell death independently of ATM and p53 | 2015 | Thomas, A.; Perry, T.; Berhane, S.; Oldreive, C.; Zlatanou, A.; Williams, L.R.; Weston, V.J.; Stankovic, T.; Kearns, P.; Pors, Klaus; Grand, R.J.; Stewart, G.S. | |||||||||
| Probing cytochrome P450-mediated activation with a truncated azinomycin analogue | 2015 | MedChemComm | 6 | 187 - 191 | Vinader, Victoria; Sadiq, Maria; Sutherland, Mark H.; Huang, M.Y.; Loadman, Paul M.; Elsalem, Lina M.I.; Shnyder, Steven D.; Cui, H.J.; Afarinkia, Kamyar; Searcey, M.; Patterson, Laurence H.; Pors, Klaus | dx.doi.org/10.1039/c4md00411f | |||||
| Solid-phase synthesis of duocarmycin analogues and the effect of C-terminal substitution on biological activity | 2015 | Stephenson, M.J.; Howell, L.A.; O'Connell, M.A.; Fox, K.R.; Adcock, C.; Kingston, J.; Sheldrake, Helen M.; Pors, Klaus; Collingwood, S.P.; Searcey, M. | |||||||||
| Re-engineering of the Duocarmycin Structural Architecture Enables Bioprecursor Development Targeting CYP1A1 and CYP2W1 for Biological Activity | 2013 | Sheldrake, Helen M.; Travica, S.; Johansson, I.; Loadman, Paul M.; Sutherland, Mark H.; Elsalem, Lina M.I.; Illingworth, Nicola A.; Cresswell, Alexander J.; Reuillon, Tristan; Shnyder, Steven D.; Mkrtchian, S.; Searcey, M.; Ingelman-Sundberg, M.; Patterson, Laurence H.; Pors, Klaus | |||||||||
| Quantitative analysis of cytochrome P450 isoforms in human liver microsomes by the combination of proteomics and chemical probe-based assay | 2014 | Liu, X.; Hu, L.; Ge, G.; Yang, B.; Ning, J.; Sun, S.; Yang, L.; Pors, Klaus; Gu, J. | |||||||||
| Aldehyde dehydrogenases in cancer: an opportunity for biomarker and drug development? | 2014 | Pors, Klaus; Moreb, J.S. | |||||||||
| Mitoxantrone and Analogues Bind and Stabilize i-Motif Forming DNA Sequences | 2016 | Wright, E.P.; Day, H.A.; Ibrahim, Ali M.; Kumar, Jeethendra; Boswell, L.J.E.; Huguin, C.; Stevenson, C.E.M.; Pors, Klaus | |||||||||
| Hydroxytriazole derivatives as potent and selective aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) inhibitors discovered by bioisosteric scaffold hopping approach | 2017 | Pippione, A.C.; Giraudo, A.; Bonanni, D.; Carnovale, I.M.; Marini, E.; Cena, C.; Costale, A.; Zonari, D.; Pors, Klaus; Sadiq, Maria; Boschi, D.; Oliaro-Bosso, S.; Lolli, M.L. | |||||||||
| Probing cytochrome P450 bioactivation and fluorescent properties with morpholinyl-tethered anthraquinones | 2018 | Errington, R.J.; Sadiq, M.; Cosentino, L.; Wiltshire, M.; Sadiq, O.; Sini, Marcella; Lizano, E.; Pujol, M.D.; Ribeiro Morais, Goreti; Pors, Klaus | |||||||||
| Synthesis and biological evaluation of colchicine C-ring analogues tethered with aliphatic linkers suitable for prodrug derivatisation | 2012 | Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters | 22 | 7693 - 7696 | Fournier-Dit-Chabert J.;Vinader V.;Santos A.;Redondo-Horcajo M.;Dreneau A.;Basak R.;Cosentino L.;Marston G.;Abdel-Rahman H.;Loadman P.;Shnyder S.;Díaz J.;Barasoain I.;Falconer R.;Pors K. | 0960-894X | 10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.09.104 | ||||
| CYP2W1 polymorphism: Functional aspects and relation to risk for colorectal cancer | 2013 | Pharmacogenomics | 14 | 1615 - 1622 | Stenstedt K.;Travica S.;Guo J.;Barragan I.;Pors K.;Patterson L.;Edler D.;Mkrtchian S.;Johansson I.;Ingelman-Sundberg M. | 1462-2416 | 10.2217/pgs.13.136 | ||||
| Use of the hollow fiber assay for the evaluation of DNA damaging agents | 2011 | Journal of Pharmacological and Toxicological Methods | 64 | 226 - 232 | Veiga J.;Cooper P.;Pors K.;Patterson L.;Bibby M.;Shnyder S. | 1056-8719 | 10.1016/j.vascn.2011.04.006 | ||||
| Synthesis and biological evaluation of colchicine B-ring analogues tethered with halogenated benzyl moieties | 2012 | Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | 55 | 11062 - 11066 | Cosentino L.;Redondo-Horcajo M.;Zhao Y.;Santos A.;Chowdury K.;Vinader V.;Abdallah Q.;Abdel-Rahman H.;Fournier-Dit-Chabert J.;Shnyder S.;Loadman P.;Fang W.;Díaz J.;Barasoain I.;Burns P.;Pors K. | 0022-2623 | 10.1021/jm301151t | ||||
| Minor structural modifications to alchemix influence mechanism of action and pharmacological activity | 2012 | Biochemical Pharmacology | 83 | 1514 - 1522 | Abdallah Q.;Phillips R.;Johansson F.;Helleday T.;Cosentino L.;Abdel-Rahman H.;Etzad J.;Wheelhouse R.;Kiakos K.;Bingham J.;Hartley J.;Patterson L.;Pors K. | 0006-2952 | 10.1016/j.bcp.2012.02.017 | ||||
| Kinetic analysis of intracellular Hoechst 33342-DNA interactions by flow cytometry: Misinterpretation of side population status? | 2013 | Cytometry Part A | 83 A | 161 - 169 | Smith P.;Wiltshire M.;Chappell S.;Cosentino L.;Burns P.;Pors K.;Errington R. | 1552-4922 | 10.1002/cyto.a.22224 | ||||
| Exploration of [2 + 2 + 2] cyclotrimerisation methodology to prepare tetrahydroisoquinoline-based compounds with potential aldo-keto reductase 1C3 target affinity | 2019 | MedChemComm | 10 | 1476 - 1480 | Santos A.;Sheldrake H.;Ibrahim A.;Danta C.;Bonanni D.;Daga M.;Oliaro-Bosso S.;Boschi D.;Lolli M.;Pors K. | 2040-2503 | 10.1039/c9md00201d | ||||
| Synthesis and biological properties of aryl methyl sulfones. | 2018 | Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry | 26 | Navarro L;Rosell G;Sánchez S;Boixareu N;Pors K;Pouplana R;Campanera JM;Pujol MD; | 1464-3391 | 10.1016/j.bmc.2018.06.038 | |||||
| Therapeutic antibodies against cancer stem cells: a promising approach. | 2017 | Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy | 66 | Sneha S;Nagare RP;Priya SK;Sidhanth C;Pors K;Ganesan TS; | 1432-0851 | 10.1007/s00262-017-2049-0 | |||||
| Expression and regulation of aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) in prostate cancer | 2018 | Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment | 4 | Ibrahim AIM; Sadiq M; Frame F; Maitland NJ; Pors K | 2454-2857 | OAE Publishing Inc | |||||
| Androgen-AR axis in primary and metastatic prostate cancer: chasing steroidogenic enzymes for therapeutic intervention | 2017 | Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment | 3 | Pippione AC; Boschi D; Pors K; Oliaro-Bosso S; Lolli ML | OAE Publishing Inc | ||||||
| Current challenges and opportunities in treating hypoxic prostate tumors | 2018 | Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment | 4 | McKenna DJ; Errington R; Pors K | |||||||
| Multigram scale synthesis of polycyclic lactones and evaluation of antitumor and other biological properties. | 2019 | European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | 185 | Grau L;Romero M;Privat-Contreras C;Presa D;Viñas M;Morral J;Pors K;Rubio-Martinez J;Pujol MD; | 1768-3254 | 10.1016/j.ejmech.2019.111807 | |||||
| Aldehyde Dehydrogenases and Prostate Cancer: Shedding Light on Isoform Distribution to Reveal Druggable Target. | 2020 | Biomedicines | 8 | Quattrini L;Sadiq M;Petrarolo G;Maitland NJ;Frame FM;Pors K;La Motta C; | 2227-9059 | 10.3390/biomedicines8120569 | |||||
| Potent and selective aldo-keto reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) inhibitors based on the benzoisoxazole moiety: application of a bioisosteric scaffold hopping approach to flufenamic acid. | 2018 | European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | 150 | Pippione AC;Carnovale IM;Bonanni D;Sini M;Goyal P;Marini E;Pors K;Adinolfi S;Zonari D;Festuccia C;Wahlgren WY;Friemann R;Bagnati R;Boschi D;Oliaro-Bosso S;Lolli ML | |||||||
| Probing cytochrome P450 (CYP) bioactivation with chloromethylindoline bioprecursors derived from the duocarmycin family of compounds. | 2021 | Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry | 40 | Ortuzar N;Karu K;Presa D;Morais GR;Sheldrake HM;Shnyder SD;Barnieh FM;Loadman PM;Patterson LH;Pors K;Searcey M; | 1464-3391 | 10.1016/j.bmc.2021.116167 | |||||
| How can the potential of the duocarmycins be unlocked for cancer therapy? | 2021 | Drug Discovery Today | 26 | Jukes Z;Morais GR;Loadman PM;Pors K; | 1878-5832 | 10.1016/j.drudis.2020.11.020 | |||||
| Design, Synthesis, Biological Evaluation and In Silico Study of Benzyloxybenzaldehyde Derivatives as Selective ALDH1A3 Inhibitors. | 2021 | Molecules | 26 | Ibrahim AIM;Ikhmais B;Batlle E;AbuHarb WK;Jha V;Jaradat KT;Jiménez R;Pequerul R;Parés X;Farrés J;Pors K; | 1420-3049 | 10.3390/molecules26195770 | |||||
| Intratumoural Cytochrome P450 Expression in Breast Cancer: Impact on Standard of Care Treatment and New Efforts to Develop Tumour-Selective Therapies. | 2021 | Biomedicines | 9 | Sneha S;Baker SC;Green A;Storr S;Aiyappa R;Martin S;Pors K; | 2227-9059 | 10.3390/biomedicines9030290 | |||||
| Cytochrome P450 Binding and Bioactivation of Tumor-targeted Duocarmycin Agents. | 2021 | Drug Metabolism And Disposition: The Biological Fate Of Chemicals | Bart AG;Morais G;Vangala VR;Loadman PM;Pors K;Scott EE; | 1521-009X | 10.1124/dmd.121.000642 | ||||||
| Cytochrome P450 isoforms 1A1, 1B1 AND 2W1 as targets for therapeutic intervention in head and neck cancer. | 2021 | Scientific Reports | 11 | Presa D;Khurram SA;Zubir AZA;Smarakan S;Cooper PA;Morais GR;Sadiq M;Sutherland M;Loadman PM;McCaul J;Shnyder SD;Patterson LH;Pors K; | 2045-2322 | 10.1038/s41598-021-98217-z | |||||
| New Aldo-Keto Reductase 1C3 (AKR1C3) inhibitors based on the hydroxytriazole scaffold | 2022 | European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | 237 | Agnese Chiara Pippione, Zühal Kilic-Kurt, Sandra Kovachka, Stefano Sainas, Barbara Rolando, Enrica Denasio, Klaus Pors, Salvatore Adinolfi, Daniele Zonari, Renzo Bagnati, Marco Lucio Lolli, Francesca Spyrakis, Simonetta Oliaro-Bosso1 and Donatella Boschi | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114366 | ||||||
| The Chemerin-CMKLR1 Axis is Functionally important for Central Regulation of Energy Homeostasis | 2022 | Frontiers in Physiology | 30 May 2022 | Yun, H: Dumbell, R: Hanna, K: Bowen, J; McLean, SL; Kantamneni, S; Pors, K; Wu, QF; Helfer, G | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.897105 | ||||||
| Expansion of the 4-(Diethylamino)benzaldehyde Scaffold to Explore the Impact on Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity and Antiproliferative Activity in Prostate Cancer | 2022 | Journal of Medicinal Chemistry | 65 | Ali I M Ibrahim, Elisabet Batlle, Smarakan Sneha, Rafael Jiménez, Raquel Pequerul, Xavier Parés, Till Rüngeler, Vibhu Jha, Tiziano Tuccinardi, Maria Sadiq, Fiona Frame, Norman J Maitland, Jaume Farrés, Klaus Pors | 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01367 | ||||||
| In vitro radiosensitization of breast cancer with hypoxia-activated prodrugs. | 2022 | Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine | 26 | Aiyappa-Maudsley R;Elsalem L;Ibrahim AIM;Pors K;Martin SG; | 1582-4934 | 10.1111/jcmm.17486 | |||||
| Genetic variation in the ADIPOQ gene and serum adiponectin increase the risk of bladder cancer. | 2022 | Journal of Applied Biomedicine | 20 | Elsalem L;Alfaqih MA;Al Bashir S;Halalsheh O;Basheer HA;Mhedat K;Khader Y;Pors K; | 1214-0287 | 10.32725/jab.2022.012 |
Reviews
| Title | Year | Publication name | Journal | Volume | Pages | Authors | Editors | ISSN | Publisher | DOI | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The changing landscape of cancer drug discovery: a challenge to the medicinal chemist of tomorrow | 2009 | Drug Discovery Today | 14 | 1045 - 1050 | Pors K.;Goldberg F.;Leamon C.;Rigby A.;Snyder S.;Falconer R. | 1359-6446 | 10.1016/j.drudis.2009.07.004 | ||||
| DNA mismatch repair deficiency, resistance to cancer chemotherapy and the development of hypersensitive agents | 2005 | Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry | 5 | 1133 - 1149 | Pors K.;Patterson L. | 1568-0266 | 10.2174/156802605774370883 | ||||
| Therapeutic antibodies against cancer stem cells: a promising approach | 2017 | Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy | 66 | 1383 - 1398 | Sneha S.;Nagare R.;Priya S.;Sidhanth C.;Pors K.;Ganesan T. | 0340-7004 | 10.1007/s00262-017-2049-0 | ||||
| Microtubule stabilising agents for cancer chemotherapy | 2009 | Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents | 19 | 607 - 622 | Zhao Y.;Fang W.;Pors K. | 1354-3776 | 10.1517/13543770902775713 | ||||
| Chemical and biological explorations of the family of CC-1065 and the duocarmycin natural products | 2009 | Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry | 9 | 1494 - 1524 | Ghosh N.;Sheldrake H.;Searcey M.;Pors K. | 1568-0266 | 10.2174/156802609789909812 | ||||
| Aldehyde dehydrogenases in cancer: An opportunity for biomarker and drug development? | 2014 | Drug Discovery Today | 19 | 1953 - 1963 | Pors K.;Moreb J. | 1359-6446 | 10.1016/j.drudis.2014.09.009 |