Profile

Contact Details

Phone: 64 21 165 1565
Email: nina.giles@otago.ac.nz

Position: Research Fellow
Qualifications: BSc(Hons) ARCS PhD
Research summary: Redox research in cancer

Research

The healthy cell needs to maintain an optimal balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS), however in many diseases states including cancer the ROS increase beyond the capability of the cell to remove them with the antioxidants available. Our group tries to capitalise on this imbalance by introducing novel drugs which can utilise the excess ROS to destroy cancerous cells, leaving healthy cells untouched. To achieve this we aim to try and understand a complex set of redox sensitive pathways and reactions within cancerous cells. Techniques employed include: The synthesis of novel drugs, cell cytotoxicity assays, fluorescence imaging, western blotting, and nanostring gene expression sequencing.

Publications

McNeill, S., Giles, N. M., Preston, D., Jones, P. P., Crowley, J. D., & Giles, G. I. (2020). The quadruply stranded metallo-supramolecular helicate [Pd₂ (hextrz)₄]⁴⁺ acts as a molecular mimic of cytolytic peptides. Chemical Research in Toxicology, 33, 1822-1834. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00061 Journal - Research Article

Giles, N., & Giles, G. (2019). Nanostring analysis of the effect of nitric oxide on cancer gene expression. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 145(Suppl. 1), (pp. S64). doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.10.169 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Zadehvakili, B., Giles, N. M., Fawcett, J. P., & Giles, G. I. (2016). Data on the catalytic mechanism of thiol peroxidase mimics [Data article]. Data in Brief, 8, 207-210. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2016.05.037 Journal - Research Other

Xian, S., Parayath, N., Nehoff, H., Giles, N., & Greish, K. (2015). The use of styrene maleic acid nanomicelles encapsulating the cannabinoid synthetic analogue WIN55, 212-2 for the treatment of breast and prostate cancer. New Zealand Medical Journal, 128(1421). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Xian, S., Parayath, N. N., Nehoff, H., Giles, N. M., & Greish, K. (2015). The use of styrene maleic acid nanomicelles encapsulating the synthetic cannabinoid analog WIN55,212-2 for the treatment of cancer. Anticancer Research, 35(9), 4707-4712. Journal - Research Article

2020

Journal - Research Article

2019

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

2016

Journal - Research Other

2015

Journal - Research Article

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

2013

Journal - Research Article

Aitken, J. B., Shearer, E. L., Giles, N. M., Lai, B., Vogt, B., Reboucas, J. S., … Giles, G. I. (2013). Intracellular targeting and pharmacological activity of the superoxide dismutase mimics MnTE-2-PyP⁵⁺ and MnTnHex-2-PyP⁵⁺ regulated by their porphyrin ring substituents. Inorganic Chemistry, 52(8), 4121-4123. doi: 10.1021/ic300700g

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Shearer, E. L., Aitken, J. B., Giles, N. M., Reboucas, J. S., Batinic-Haberle, I., Lay, P. A., & Giles, G. I. (2013, August). The activity of superoxide dismutase mimetics is regulated by intracellular location. Verbal presentation at the Queenstown Molecular Biology (QMB) Meetings, Queenstown, New Zealand.

2012

Journal - Research Article

Giles, N. M., Kumari, S., Stamm, R., Patel, S., & Giles, G. I. (2012). A hydrogen peroxide electrode assay to measure thiol peroxidase activity for organoselenium and organotellurium drugs. Analytical Biochemistry, 429(2), 103-107. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2012.07.013

Giles, N. M., Kumari, S., Gang, B. P., Yuen, C. W. W., Billaud, E. M. F., & Giles, G. I. (2012). The molecular design of S-nitrosothiols as photodynamic agents for controlled nitric oxide release. Chemical Biology & Drug Design, 80(3), 471-478. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-0285.2012.01420.x

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Kumari, S., Giles, N. M., & Giles, G. I. (2012). Development of photoactivated nitric oxide donors as anticancer drugs. Proceedings of the Oxygen Theme Meeting. (pp. 20). Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago. Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/research/otago051864.pdf

Kumari, S., Giles, N., Billaud, E., & Giles, G. (2012). Development of photoactivated nitric oxide donors as anticancer drugs. Protein Science, 21(S1), (pp. 76). doi: 10.1002/pro.2113

Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Kumari, S., Giles, N. M., & Giles, G. I. (2012, September). Development of photoactivated nitric oxide donors as anticancer drugs. Poster session presented at the Division of Health Sciences Research Forum: Health Matters: Research Excellence at Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

2010

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Giles, G. I., Arya, S., Patel, S., & Giles, N. M. (2010). Electrochemical evaluation of molecular mimics of glutathione peroxidase. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 49(Suppl. 1), (pp. S210). doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.10.609

2009

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Giles, G. I., & Giles, N. M. (2009). Organochalcogenides as redox activated anti cancer drugs. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 47(Suppl. 1), (pp. S143). [Abstract]

2008

Journal - Research Article

Oh, J. Y., Giles, N., Landar, A., & Darley-Usmar, V. (2008). Accumulation of 15-deoxy-Δ^12,14-prostaglandin J₂ adduct formation with Keap1 over time: Effects on potency for intracellular antioxidant defense induction. Biochemical Journal, 411(2), 297-306. doi: 10.1042/bj20071189

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Giles, G. I., Billaud, E., & Giles, N. M. (2008). Synthetic S-nitrosothiols as anti cancer agents. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 45(Suppl. 1), (pp. S82-S83). [Abstract]

Giles, N. M., & Giles, G. I. (2008). A cytotoxic analysis of Thiol Oxidation Catalysts (TOCS) towards human lung carcinoma cell line A549. Proceedings of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting. ASCEPT. Retrieved from http://phal.otago.ac.nz/ascept_docos/programme%202008.pdf

Billaud, E., Giles, N. M., & Giles, G. I. (2008). Tert-dodecane-S-nitrosothiol as a nitric oxide donor. Proceedings of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting. ASCEPT. Retrieved from http://phal.otago.ac.nz/ascept_docos/programme%202008.pdf

2006

Journal - Research Article

Landar, A., Giles, N., Zmijewski, J. W., Watanabe, N., Oh, J.-Y., & Darley-Usmar, V. M. (2006). Modification of lipids by reactive oxygen and nitrogen species: The oxy-nitroxy-lipidome and its role in redox cell signaling. Future Lipidology, 1(2), 203-211. doi: 10.2217/17460875.1.2.203

Landar, A., Oh, J.-Y., Giles, N. M., Isom, A., Kirk, M., Barnes, S., & Darley-Usmar, V. M. (2006). A sensitive method for the quantitative measurement of protein thiol modification in response to oxidative stress. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 40(3), 459-468. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2005.08.046

2005

Journal - Research Article

Fry, F. H., Holme, A. L., Giles, N. M., Giles, G. I., Collins, C., Holt, K., … Jacob, C. (2005). Multifunctional redox catalysts as selective enhancers of oxidative stress. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 3(14), 2579-2587. doi: 10.1039/b502197a

2003

Journal - Research Article

Giles, N. M., Giles, G. I., Holley, J. E., Gutowski, N. J., & Jacob, C. (2003). Targeting oxidative stress-related diseases: Organochalcogen catalysts as redox sensitizers. Biochemical Pharmacology, 66(10), 2021-2028. doi: 10.1016/S0006-2952(03)00544-6

Jacob, C., Giles, G. I., Giles, N. M., & Sies, H. (2003). Sulfur and selenium: The role of oxidation state in protein structure and function. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 42(39), 4742-4758. doi: 10.1002/anie.200300573

Giles, N. M., Gutowski, N. J., Giles, G. I., & Jacob, C. (2003). Redox catalysts as sensitisers towards oxidative stress. FEBS Letters, 535, 179-182. doi: 10.1016/S0014-5793(02)03890-5

Giles, N. M., Giles, G. I., & Jacob, C. (2003). Multiple roles of cysteine in biocatalysis. Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications, (1), 1-4. doi: 10.1016/S0006-291X(02)02770-5

Giles, N. M., Watts, A. B., Giles, G. I., Fry, F. H., Littlechild, J. A., & Jacob, C. (2003). Metal and redox modulation of cysteine protein function. Chemistry & Biology, 10(8), 677-693. doi: 10.1016/S1074-5521(03)00174-1

Beers, S. A., Buckland, A. G., Giles, N., Gelb, M. H., & Wilton, D. C. (2003). Effect of tryptophan insertions on the properties of the human group IIA phospholipase A₂: Mutagenesis produces an enzyme with characteristics similar to those of the human group V phospholipase A₂. Biochemistry, 42, 7326-7338. doi: 10.1021/bi0343222

Journal - Research Other

Giles, G. I., Giles, N. M., Collins, C. A., Holt, K., Fry, F. H., Lowden, P. A. S., … Jacob, C. (2003). Electrochemical, in vitro and cell culture analysis of integrated redox catalysts: Implications for cancer therapy. Chemical Communications, 2030-2031. doi: 10.1039/b302877a

2002

Journal - Research Article

Giles, G. I., Tasker, K. M., Collins, C., Giles, N. M., O'Rourke, E., & Jacob, C. (2002). Reactive sulphur species: An in vitro investigation of the oxidation properties of disulphide S-oxides. Biochemical Journal, 364, 579-585.