Dr Sophie Harding-Fox

Sophie is a research felllow in the Fibrosis Research Group. She has expertise in cyclic nucleotide signalling and her research focuses on understanding the role of fibroblast/stromal biology in fibrotic diseases and cancer.

[email protected]

Background

After graduating with a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of East Anglia in 2016, Sophie worked as a scientist at Charles River Laboratories. In 2020, she started her PhD at Anglia Ruskin University, during which she determined a novel mechanism of action of PDE5 inhibitors as an antifibrotic treatment for Peyronie’s Disease.

Now working as a postdoctoral researcher, Sophie continues to investigate the role of cyclic nucleotide signalling in other fibrotic diseases such as intra-abdominal adhesions. She is also interested in understanding the interactions between fibroblasts and cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment. Utilising phenotypic screening assays and co-culture models, her research aims to identify drugs which can be used to prevent fibrosis and/or metastasis.

Research interests

• Fibrosis and fibroproliferative disorders
• Tumour microenvironment
• Phenotypic drug discovery and assay development
• Cyclic nucleotide signalling
• Molecular signalling pathways of fibrosis

Qualifications

• PhD Medical Science, Anglia Ruskin University (2024)
• BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia (2016)

Memberships, editorial boards

• European Society for Sexual Medicine, member since 2021
• British Pharmacological Society, member since 2022
• Biochemical Society, member since 2023

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• 2025 Guts UK Early Career Researcher – Development Grant Award (£14,996)

Selected recent publications

Lapthorn, A. R., Harding-Fox, S. L., Feltham, K. M., Ilg, M. M., Cellek, S. (2025). Discovery of novel anti-fibrotics through phenotypic screening. Drug Discovery Today, 30(9), pp. 1-21. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2025.104450.

Harding-Fox, S. L., Cellek, S. (2025). The role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in pathophysiology of fibrosis. Drug Discovery Today, 30(6), pp. 1-15. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drudis.2025.104368.

Ilg, M. M., Lapthorn, A. R., Harding, S. L., Minhas, T., Koduri, G., Bustin, S. A. and Cellek, S. (2025). Development of a phenotypic screening assay to measure activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 16. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1526495.

Harding, S. L., Ilg, M. M., Bustin, S. A., Ralph, D. J. and Cellek, S. (2024). Inhibition of phosphodiesterases 1 and 4 prevents myofibroblast transformation in Peyronie’s disease. BJU International. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.16631.

Lapthorn, A. R., Harding, S. L., Feltham, K. M., Sathyananth, D., Salisbury, D. C. and Cellek, S. (2024). A Review of the Current Landscape of Anti-Fibrotic Medicines. Fibrosis, 2, 10005. Available at: https://doi.org/10.70322/fibrosis.2024.10005.

Ilg, M.M., Harding, S., Lapthorn, A.R., Kirvell, S., Ralph, D.J., Bustin, S.A., Ball, G. and Cellek, S., 2024. Temporal gene signature of myofibroblast transformation in Peyronie’s disease: first insights into the molecular mechanisms of irreversibility. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 21(4), pp.278–287. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdae006.

Recent presentations and conferences

Harding-Fox, S. L. (2025). Repurposing FDA-Approved Drugs to Inhibit Fibroblast-to-CAF Transition: Development of a Phenotypic Screening Assay. ELRIG Drug Discovery (Liverpool, UK).

Harding, S. L. (2025). Developing a phenotypic screening assay to identify adjuvant treatments which prevent metastatic niche formation. 22nd International AEK Cancer Congress (Berlin, Germany).

Harding, S. L. (2024). Phosphodiesterase inhibition prevents myofibroblast transformation in Peyronie’s disease. ELRIG Drug Discovery (London, UK).

Harding, S. L. (2024). Development of a high-throughput phenotypic screening assay to identify novel therapeutics for the prevention of intra-abdominal adhesions. Third MTRC Annual Research Conference (Cambridge, UK).

Harding, S. L. (2024). Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors prevent myofibroblast transformation in Peyronie’s Disease fibroblasts through the cAMP/PKA pathway, potentially through PDE1/PDE4. European Society for Sexual Medicine Congress (Bari, Italy).

Harding, S. L. (2023). Inhibition of phosphodiesterases 1, 4, and 5 prevents myofibroblast transformation in Peyronie’s Disease. Biochemical Society. AKAP2023: 7th International Meeting on Anchored cAMP signalling Pathways (London, UK).

Harding, S. L. (2023). The mechanism of action of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in preventing myofibroblast transformation in in vitro models of Peyronie’s Disease. European Society for Sexual Medicine Congress (Rotterdam, Netherlands).

Harding, S. L. (2022). Mechanism of action of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors in preventing human myofibroblast transformation. British Pharmacological Society Annual Meeting. Pharmacology 2022 (Liverpool, UK).