Associate Professor John Ashton
Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 479 3040
- john.ashton@otago.ac.nz
- Position
- Associate Professor
- Department
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Qualifications
- BSc(Hons)(Well) PhD(Massey)
- Research summary
- Non-small cell lung cancer, focus on ALK+ lung cancer
- Teaching
- Pharmacology teaching to Science, Medical, Dental and Physiotherapy students
- Memberships
- ASCEPT
- Lung Foundation NZ
Research
Lung Cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer is difficult to treat and causes more cancer-related mortality than any other cancer in the developed world. Although lung cancer has been associated with smoking, the majority people with lung cancer are now non-smokers. Treatment has been revolutionised in recent years by the introduction of targeted therapies - such that life expectancy has been doubled for a sub-population of patients. My research is focused on lung cancer driven by mutations to the ALK protein, the mechanisms of action of drugs that target ALK, and mechanisms of cancer drug resistance.
Publications
Rivers-Auty, J. R., Smith, P. F., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). The cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist GW405833 does not ameliorate brain damage induced by hypoxia-ischemia in rats. Neuroscience Letters, 569, 104-109. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.03.077
Maggo, S., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on learning and memory in the guinea pig. European Journal of Pharmacology, 723, 294-304. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.11.018
Rivers-Auty, J., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Neuroinflammation in ischemic brain injury as an adaptive process. Medical Hypotheses, 82(2), 151-158. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.11.024
Linsell, O., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Cerebral hypoxia-ischemia causes cardiac damage in a rat model. NeuroReport, 25(10), 796-800. doi: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000190
Marchalant, Y., Brownjohn, P. W., Bonnet, A., Kleffmann, T., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Validating antibodies to the cannabinoid CB2 receptor: Antibody sensitivity is not evidence of antibody specificity. Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, 62(6), 395-404. doi: 10.1369/0022155414530995
Rivers-Auty, J. R., Smith, P. F., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). The cannabinoid CB2 receptor agonist GW405833 does not ameliorate brain damage induced by hypoxia-ischemia in rats. Neuroscience Letters, 569, 104-109. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.03.077
Journal - Research Article
Maggo, S., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors on learning and memory in the guinea pig. European Journal of Pharmacology, 723, 294-304. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.11.018
Journal - Research Article
Rivers-Auty, J., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Neuroinflammation in ischemic brain injury as an adaptive process. Medical Hypotheses, 82(2), 151-158. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2013.11.024
Journal - Research Other
Linsell, O., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Cerebral hypoxia-ischemia causes cardiac damage in a rat model. NeuroReport, 25(10), 796-800. doi: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000190
Journal - Research Article
Marchalant, Y., Brownjohn, P. W., Bonnet, A., Kleffmann, T., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). Validating antibodies to the cannabinoid CB2 receptor: Antibody sensitivity is not evidence of antibody specificity. Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, 62(6), 395-404. doi: 10.1369/0022155414530995
Journal - Research Article
Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2014). What can be concluded from blocking peptide controls? Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology, 22(8), 634. doi: 10.1097/PAI.0b013e3182a77fe5
Journal - Research Other
Ashton, J. C. (2013). Experimental power comes from powerful theories: The real problem in null hypothesis testing. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 14, 585. doi: 10.1038/nrn3475-c2
Journal - Research Other
Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Neonatal asphyxia and stroke: Morbidity, models, consequences, and treatments. In D. Vordermark (Ed.), Hypoxia: Causes, types and management. (pp. 89-110). New York: Nova.
Chapter in Book - Research
Rivers, J. R., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Age matching animal models to humans: Theoretical considerations. Current Drug Discovery Technologies, 10(3), 177-181.
Journal - Research Article
Baek, J.-H., Darlington, C. L., Smith, P. F., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Antibody testing for brain immunohistochemistry: Brain immunolabeling for the cannabinoid CB2 receptor. Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 216(2), 87-95. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.03.021
Journal - Research Article
Rivers-Auty, J., & Ashton, J. C. (2013). Vehicles for lipophilic drugs: Implications for experimental design, neuroprotection, and drug discovery. Current Neurovascular Research, 10(4), 356-360. doi: 10.2174/15672026113109990021
Journal - Research Other
Ashton, J. C. (2013). Phylogenetic methods in drug discovery. Current Drug Discovery Technologies, 10(4), 255-262. doi: 10.2174/15701638113109990033
Journal - Research Article
Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). Spinal cannabinoid CB2 receptors as a target for neuropathic pain: An investigation using chronic constriction injury. Neuroscience, 203, 180-193. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.12.028
Journal - Research Article
Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). A technical note for improving animal welfare and model validity in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain. European Journal of Pain, 16(10), 1477. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00199.x
Journal - Research Other
Maggo, S., Clark, D., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). The effect of statins on performance in the Morris water maze in guinea pig. European Journal of Pharmacology, 674(2-3), 287-293. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2011.11.006
Journal - Research Article
Breen, C., Brownjohn, P. W., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). The atypical cannabinoid O-1602 increases hind paw sensitisation in the chronic constriction injury model of neuropathic pain. Neuroscience Letters, 508(2), 119-122. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.12.039
Journal - Research Article
Mandhane, S., Nayak, P., Soni, D., Jain, S., Ashton, J. C., & Rajamannar, T. (2012). Induction of glucose intolerance by acute administration of rimonabant. Pharmacology, 89(5-6), 339-347. doi: 10.1159/000337731
Journal - Research Article
Ashton, J. C. (2012). The use of knockout mice to test the specificity of antibodies for cannabinoid receptors. Hippocampus, 22(3), 643-644. doi: 10.1002/hipo.20946
Journal - Research Other
Brownjohn, P. W., Ashton, J. C., & Chase, J. G. (2012). Microglial encapsulation of motor neurons in models of neuropathic pain: A confound in pain assessment? European Journal of Pain, 16(3), 459-460. doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2011.00101.x
Journal - Research Other
Ashton, J. C. (2012). Neuropathic pain: An evolutionary hypothesis. Medical Hypotheses, 78(5), 641-643. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2012.01.044
Journal - Research Article
Rivers, J. R., Maggo, S. D. S., & Ashton, J. C. (2012). Neuroprotective effect of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin in hypoxia-ischemia. NeuroReport, 23(3), 134-138. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32834ee47c
Journal - Research Article
Ashton, J. C. (2012). Synthetic cannabinoids as drugs of abuse. Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 5(2), 158-168. doi: 10.2174/1874473711205020158
Journal - Research Article
Ashton, J. C. (2012). The atypical cannabinoid O-1602: Targets, actions, and the central nervous system. Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 12(3), 233-239.
Journal - Research Article
Ashton, J. C. (2015). Drug combination studies and their synergy quantification using the Chou-Talalay method. Cancer Research, 75, 2400. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-3763
Journal - Research Other