Vanessa Marensi holds a lectureship in Pharmacology at the North Wales Medical School. Her research primarily focuses on overcoming drug resistance in cancer, while also exploring other areas of cancer pharmacology. Her work includes investigations into:

  • Molecular adaptations resulting from drug exposure.
  • The impact of clinically relevant mutations on drug response.
  • Mechanisms by which changes in fatty acid homeostasis promote the development of pathologies via protein fatty acylation.
  • Non-canonical functions of enzymes and other proteins.
  • The therapeutic potential and mechanisms of action of novel synthetic and semi-synthetic molecules derived from natural sources.

Ongoing studies:

Elucidating the mechanisms of drug resistance resulting from exposure to FLT3 kinase inhibitors, given that FLT3 kinase activity and mutations in the corresponding gene contribute to relapse in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia.

  • FHEA
    University of Liverpool,
  • BSc: Pharmacy
    UNIVALI,
  • MSc: Biomedical Data
    Universita degli studi di Verona,
  • PhD: Physiology
    University of Alberta,

Undergraduate Courses:

MSE-3026: Medical Pharmacology

MSE-3029: Pharmacogenomics

Postgraduate Courses:

MSE-4087: Pharmacogenomics and Stratified Healthcare

Enquiries from enthusiastic prospective PhD students are welcome. Projects across our research interests are available.

2025