Our Research
Investigating stem cell fitness, and disease progression in GATA2 deficiency
GATA2 deficiency is a rare bone marrow failure sydrome predisposing to leukaemia at a very young age. Our team have developed a zebrafish model of GATA2 deficiency that mimics the disease progression in patients.
By using techniques such as CRISPR F0 screens, in situ hybridization, live imaging, single cell genomics combined with zebrafish and cell models of GATA2 loss, we aim to study the mechanisms underlying blood stem cell fitness and disease progression.
We are also developing novel in vivo and in vitro screening platforms to determine pathogenicity of GATA2 variants found in patients. The goal to is to improve variant classification to inform clinical decisions on treatment for these patients. This work is funded by The Azaylia Foundation and the LifeArc Centre for Rare Diseases.
Regulating blood stem cell emergence
We are investigating the role of signalling pathways in shaping the development of blood stem cells in the zebrafish embryo.
We have several projects in this area, so get in touch if you're interested!
We want to shed new light on the underlying mechanisms of blood stem cell formation and identify better ways to generate stem cells in vitro for transplantation.
Epigenetic regulation of haematopoesis and cell fate
Epigenetic regulators are key drivers of gene regulation and important players in haematopoiesis. Here, we are investigating how these regulators drive cells to become blood stem cells, and how they give rise to mature blood cells like red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets.
