University of Exeter Medical School

Dr. Amy Webster

Dr. Amy Webster

Lecturer

 A.Webster@exeter.ac.uk

 Medical School Building F.08C

 

Medical School Building, St Luke's Campus, Magdalen Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK

Overview

Dr Amy Webster is an epigenetics enthusiast and Lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School where her research focuses on understanding how epigenetic modifications are established and how such modifications influence disease development. She has a particular interest in exploring how early life exposures such as breastfeeding can impact on lifelong health.

Qualifications

  • PhD Medicine (University of Manchester)
  • BSc Genetics (University of Manchester)

Research group links

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Research

Research interests

Amy’s PhD at the University of Manchester focused on exploring the role of the epigenome in development of rheumatoid arthritis which involved establishing epigenetic research in the Arthritis Research UK Centre for Genetics and Genomics. Following this, she spent five years as a post-doc at the UCL Cancer Institute in the Medical Genomics group lead by Stephan Beck, where she focused on identifying epigenetic biomarkers for use in precision medicine. During this time she lead the epigenetic analysis for the Personal Genome Project UK and chaired the UCL Personalised Medicine Early Career Network. Following this she completed a second postdoc in the University of Exeter Cancer Genomics group lead by Chrissie Thirlwell, where she investigated the impact of epigenetics and disrupted glycaemic environments on cancer development.

She is now establishing her own independent research group investigating the role of the epigenome in lifelong health.

Research projects

  • Exploring the colorectal cancer epigenome using long-read sequencing
  • Epi-ASCENT: the epigenetic landscape of screen-detected lung cancers
  • Understanding epigenetic variation in multifocal ileal neuroendocrine tumours and mesenteric fibrosis
  • EpiMatch: DNA methylation as a predictor of haematopoietic cell transplantation

Research networks

Member of the European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society and the UK Pharmacogenetics and Stratified Medicine Network 

Research grants

  • 0 CRUK
    Epi-ASCENT’: The epigenetic landscape of screen-detected lung cancers
  • 0 Wellcome Trust
    Wellcome Trust Translational Research Exchange @ Exeter Award: ‘Effect of diabetes on Genomic variation in colorectal cancer’
  • 0 Academy of Medical Sciences
    Springboard Round 9: Exploring the epigenetic landscape of colorectal cancer using long read sequencing

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Publications

Journal articles

Webster AP, Ecker S, Moghul I, Liu X, Dhami P, Marzi S, Paul DS, Kuxhausen M, Lee SJ, Spellman SR, et al (2024). Donor whole blood DNA methylation is not a strong predictor of acute graft <i>versus</i> host disease in unrelated donor allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation. FRONTIERS IN GENETICS, 15  Author URL.
Endicott M, Thirlwell C, Webster AP (2023). Exploring genetic loci of type 2 diabetes and cancer: a review. Endocrine Oncology, 3(1).
Maity AK, Stone TC, Ward V, Webster AP, Yang Z, Hogan A, McBain H, Duku M, Ho KMA, Wolfson P, et al (2022). Novel epigenetic network biomarkers for early detection of esophageal cancer. Clin Epigenetics, 14(1). Abstract.  Author URL.
Dritsoula A, Kislikova M, Oomatia A, Webster AP, Beck S, Ponticos M, Lindsey B, Norman J, Wheeler DC, Oates T, et al (2021). "Epigenome-wide methylation profile of chronic kidney disease-derived arterial DNA uncovers novel pathways in disease-associated cardiovascular pathology.". EPIGENETICS, 16(7), 718-728.  Author URL.
Webster AP, Thirlwell C (2021). The evolving molecular landscape of intestinal and pulmonary neuroendocrine tumours. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research, 19, 30-34. Abstract.
Berner AM, Pipinikas C, Ryan A, Dibra H, Moghul I, Webster A, Luong TV, Thirlwell C (2020). Diagnostic Approaches to Neuroendocrine Neoplasms of Unknown Primary Site. Neuroendocrinology, 110(7-8), 563-573. Abstract.  Author URL.
Guerra-Assuncao JA, Conde L, Moghul I, Webster AP, Ecker S, Chervova O, Chatzipantsiou C, Prieto PP, Beck S, Herrero J, et al (2020). GenomeChronicler: the Personal Genome Project UK Genomic Report Generator Pipeline. FRONTIERS IN GENETICS, 11  Author URL.
Dyke SOM, Saulnier KM, Dupras C, Webster AP, Maschke K, Rothstein M, Siebert R, Walter J, Beck S, Pastinen T, et al (2019). Points-to-consider on the return of results in epigenetic research. GENOME MEDICINE, 11  Author URL.
Chervova O, Conde L, Guerra-Assuncao JA, Moghul I, Webster AP, Berner A, Cadieux EL, Tian Y, Voloshin V, Jesus TF, et al (2019). The Personal Genome Project-UK, an open access resource of human multi-omics data. SCIENTIFIC DATA, 6  Author URL.
Steele CD, Tarabichi M, Oukrif D, Webster AP, Ye H, Fittall M, Lombard P, Martincorena I, Tarpey PS, Collord G, et al (2019). Undifferentiated Sarcomas Develop through Distinct Evolutionary Pathways. CANCER CELL, 35(3), 441-+.  Author URL.
Zheng SC, Webster AP, Dong D, Feber A, Graham DG, Sullivan R, Jevons S, Lovat LB, Beck S, Widschwendter M, et al (2018). A novel cell-type deconvolution algorithm reveals substantial contamination by immune cells in saliva, buccal and cervix. EPIGENOMICS, 10(7), 925-940.  Author URL.
Webster AP, Plant D, Ecker S, Zufferey F, Bell JT, Feber A, Paul DS, Beck S, Barton A, Williams FMK, et al (2018). Increased DNA methylation variability in rheumatoid arthritis-discordant monozygotic twins. GENOME MEDICINE, 10  Author URL.
Tian Y, Morris TJ, Webster AP, Yang Z, Beck S, Feber A, Teschendorff AE (2017). ChAMP: updated methylation analysis pipeline for Illumina BeadChips. BIOINFORMATICS, 33(24), 3982-3984.  Author URL.
Webster AP, Smith SL, Worthington J, Barton A, Plant D (2016). Cryopreservation of cells does not substantially alter the DNA methylome of CD3+CD4+T cells. SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY, 45(4), 329-330.  Author URL.
Plant D, Webster A, Nair N, Oliver J, Smith SL, Eyre S, Hyrich KL, Wilson AG, Morgan AW, Isaacs JD, et al (2016). Differential Methylation as a Biomarker of Response to Etanercept in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol, 68(6), 1353-1360. Abstract.  Author URL.
Webster A, Zufferey F, Plant D, Bell J, Barton A, Williams F, Worthington J (2015). 256. Altered DNA Methylation Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Disease Discordant Monozygotic Twins. Rheumatology, 54(suppl_1), i149-i149.
Paul DS, Jones A, Sellar RS, Mayor NP, Feber A, Webster AP, Afonso N, Sergeant R, Szydlo RM, Apperley JF, et al (2015). A donor-specific epigenetic classifier for acute graft-versus-host disease severity in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. GENOME MEDICINE, 7  Author URL.
Oliver J, Plant D, Webster AP, Barton A (2015). Genetic and genomic markers of anti-TNF treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis. BIOMARKERS IN MEDICINE, 9(6), 499-512.  Author URL.
Webster A, Plant D, Eyre S, Flynn E, Martin P, Wilson G, Morgan AW, Isaacs J, Worthington J, Barton A, et al (2014). OP0051 Differential Methylation Related to Response to Etanercept in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 72(Suppl 3).

Conferences

Berner A, Pipinikas C, Karpathakis A, Dibra HK, Moghul I, Webster A, Luong TV, Thirlwell C (2019). PUnNETS (Prediction of Unknown Neuroendocrine Tumour Site) - a DNA Methylation-Based Classifier.  Author URL.
Plant D, Webster A, Nair N, Oliver J, Smith S, Eyre S, Hyrich KL, Wilson AG, Morgan AW, Isaacs J, et al (2016). DIFFERENTIAL METHYLATION AS a BIOMARKER OF RESPONSE TO ETANERCEPT IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.  Author URL.
Webster A, Plant D, Eyre S, Wilson G, Morgan A, Isaacs J, Worthington J, Barton A (2014). DIFFERENTIAL DNA METHYLATION RELATED TO RESPONSE TO ADALIMUMAB AND ETANERCEPT IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS.  Author URL.

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External Engagement and Impact

Awards

2022: Advance HE Aurora Leadership Program

2021: University of Exeter Above and Beyond Award for Collaboration

2020: Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

2013: Best poster award, Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Disease Conference (Cambridge)


Invited lectures

  • Molecular Mechanisms of Disease course, Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen (October 2018)
  • Genetics summer course, University of Cambridge (July 2018)

Media Coverage

2018: GenomeWeb summary of rheumatoid arthritis twin study:  https://www.genomeweb.com/epigenetics-research/identical-twins-without-rheumatoid-arthritis-have-differentially-variable-dna 

2018: YouTube summary of PGP-UK app launch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mmd2B8vQSU 

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Supervision / Group

Postgraduate researchers

  • Molly Endicott
  • Rebecca Ward

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