Dr Elizabeth Roundhill

Profile

I graduated with a BSc in Cell Biology from Durham University in 2005 before undertaking a PhD within the Children’s Cancer Research Group at the University of Leeds, which I completed in 2009. My doctoral research focused on understanding mechanisms of multidrug resistance in Ewing sarcoma. Following this, I held a postdoctoral research position in Leeds before joining the Children’s Cancer Institute in Sydney, Australia, as a Postdoctoral Research Officer, where was involved in the preclinical evaluation of novel therapeutics for the treatment of neuroblastoma.

In 2015, I returned to the Children’s Cancer Research Group at the University of Leeds as an Early Career Research Fellow. My research aimed to develop more clinically representative models of bone sarcoma to support drug repurposing and targeted therapeutic screening strategies. As a Senior Research Fellow, my current work focuses on identifying novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers to improve outcomes for patients with Ewing sarcoma.

Research interests

My research focuses on improving outcomes for children and young people with bone sarcomas, particularly Ewing sarcoma, through the identification and validation of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers. A focus of my work has been to better understand the molecular mechanisms that drive tumour development, progression, and treatment resistance, with the goal of translating these discoveries into more effective, less-toxic treatment strategies.

I have a particular interest in the development and application of clinically relevant preclinical models that more accurately reflect the heterogeneity and complexity of Ewing sarcoma. These models serve as platforms for drug target validation, biomarker discovery, and the evaluation of novel therapeutic strategies, including drug repurposing and combination therapies.

My current research is focussed on the validation of cell surface proteins I have identified as highly expressed in Ewing sarcoma, as targets for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

Current postgraduate research students:

Phakhwan Prueksakot (LIMR)

Maisie Pearson (LITAC)

Previous postgraduate research students:

Mariona Chicon-Bosch (LICAP)- PhD awarded 2019

Qualifications

• BSc
• PhD

Professional memberships

• EuroEwing Consortium (EEC) member (2020-present), EEC Circulating Biomakers Group (2024-present), EEC New Ewing Therapeutics Strategy Group (NEWTS) (2023-present)
• Leeds Cancer Centre, Discovery Science Subcommittee (2025-present)
• INTER-EWING1 Biological Studies Steering Group (2023-present)
• Fight OsteoSarcoma Through European Research (FOSTER) (2021-present)
• British Association of Cancer Research (2005-present), American Association of Cancer Research (2007-present)
• Leeds Centre for Disease Models (DIMO) Executive Committee (2026-present)
• Child Health Outcomes Research at Leeds (CHORAL) Extended Leadership Team (2024-present)
• NCRI Bone Sarcoma CSG subgroup (2015-2023), NCRI Sarcoma CSG Trainee (2018-2023)
• International Society of Paediatric Cancer (SIOP) (2015-present)

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research