Martin Lee Scholars - 2021 cohort

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Karen is from Hong Kong and obtained a BSc from Hong Kong University. She did a Global Internship at Temasek Life Sciences Laboratories, Singapore and then obtained a Master of Philosophy degree from Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

On being awarded a scholarship Karen said,

"I am honoured to be selected as the recipient of this scholarship award. This funding will enable me to take a giant leap forward in my research career and study at one of the most reputable biomedical research campuses while relieving financial burdens and allowing me to focus on my goals. Hence, I would like to express my gratitude for the generous support through my PhD programme."

Publication:

Ching K et al. (2021) Hypertension meets osteoarthritis - revisiting the vascular aetiology hypothesis. Nature Reviews Rheumatology 17(9):533-549

Awards:

Martin Lee Doctoral Programme Interchange Award 2023 - Runner Up. Awarded during the 1st UoE/HKU Joint Symposium & Workshop on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Hong Kong, 21 March 2023.

Research:

Rotation 1: Single-cell RNA Seq analysis of human chemically induced liver progenitor (HCLiP)-derived spheroids’ Lab of Prof Kei Kaji, CRM.

Rotation 2: Determining the proliferation/senescence status in the spiny mouse: Towards novel pathways of accelerated regeneration. Lab of Prof Stuart Forbes, CRM.

PhD project: Novel regenerative therapies for liver cirrhosis: antifibrotic mechanisms in the Spiny mouse. Lab of Prof Stuart Forbes, CRM. Co-supervisors: Dr Prakash Ramachandran, CIR,  and Dr Sofia Ferreira-Gonzalez, CRM.

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Lucy grew up in Ireland and graduated from University College Dublin, Ireland, in 2015 with a first class honours degree in Neuroscience. She received a Special Recognition Award in recognition of her extracurricular responsibilities. She carried out MSc research at The University of Edinburgh (2021).

On being awarded a scholarship Lucy said, 

"Embarking on the Martin Lee Doctoral Programme in Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine has been one of the best decisions I could have made. One of the most attractive aspects of this PhD programme is the fact that we will be given the opportunity to design our own PhD project. This appeals to me as I have a genuine passion for improving the lives of patients, and I aim to carry out PhD research which incorporates both fundamental science and clinical perspectives to increase the translation of findings towards clinical relevance."

Publications:

Doyle LA. (2021) Cerebral organoids in the study of addiction. British Neuroscience Association Summer Bulletin

Doyle LA et al. (2022) RINGs, DUBs and Abnormal Brain Growth—Histone H2A Ubiquitination in Brain Development and Disease. Epigenomes 6(4):42

Awards:

Lucy was awarded the CRM Public Engagement Award 2022 for her outreach and science communication work, which includes supporting teenagers from disadvantaged backgrounds with their STEM subject studies.

Research:

Rotation 1: Exploration of sexual dimorphism in the macrophage populations of the salivary gland. Lab of Dr Elaine Emmerson, CRM.

Rotation 2: Investigating the impact of impaired PRC1 ubiquitination on neural stem cell (NSC) expansion and differentiation. Lab of Dr Rob Illingworth, CRM.

PhD project: Investigating the extent and functional significance of PRC1-subunit composition during mammalian neurodevelopment. Lab of Robert Illingworth, CRM. Co-supervisor: Prof Steve Pollard, CRM.

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Nancy is from Hong Kong and was awarded a Hong Kong Scholarship to study at University College London (UCL) where she obtained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences. She then gained an MRes in Cancer Biology at Imperial College London and continued to work at the Francis Crick Institute, London, as a research assistant. 

On being awarded a scholarship Nancy said,

"I am truly grateful to be awarded the Martin Lee Doctoral Scholarship for my study. Growing up in a low-income family, it would be very difficult if not impossible to pursue my study overseas. People in the programme have been greatly supportive and helpful. I believe it will be an inspiring experience as I will be surrounded by some of the smartest people and best science in the world. The interdisciplinary training at IRR will definitely build up a strong foundation for me to grow as a skilful scientist."

Since 2021 Nancy has been involved in the IntoUniversity programme and mentors students from a high school near the research institute. They work together on developing a range of skills and Nancy provides career pathway guidance.

Publications:

• Kern et al. (2020) C. elegans hermaphrodites undergo semelparous reproductive death. BioRxiv doi 10.1101/2020.11.16.384255
• Cooley et al. (2020) Development of a cell-free split-luciferase biochemical assay as a tool for screening for inhibitors of challenging protein-protein interaction targets. Wellcome Open Research 5:20
• Kirkland et al. (2020) Tissue Mechanics Regulate Mitotic Nuclear Dynamics during Epithelial Development. Current Biology 30:2490

• Cunningham R et al. (2023) YAP/TAZ activation predicts clinical outcomes in mesothelioma and is conserved in in vitro model of driver mutations. Clin Transl Med. 13(2):e1190

Awards:

Martin Lee Doctoral Programme Interchange Award 2023 - Runner Up. Awarded during the 1st UoE/HKU Joint Symposium & Workshop on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Hong Kong, 21 March 2023.

Research:

Rotation 1: Cellular sensing and responses in the ageing niche. Labs of Dr Carsten Hansen, CIR, and Dr Pierre Bagnaninchi, CRM.

Rotation 2: Mechanosensing during tissue repair and tumourigenesis. Labs of Dr Yi Feng, CIR, and Dr Carsten Hansen, CIR.

PhD project: Understanding the ageing niche in regeneration: Does the Hippo control it all? Lab of Dr Carsten Hansen, CIR. Co-supervisor: Dr Pierre Bagnaninchi, CRM.

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Jakob is from Slovenia, Europe, and obtained a BSc in Biology, and an MSc in Molecular and Functional Biology from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He was an Erasmus+ Exchange Student at King's College London for a year before joining the Clinical Service Department of Guy's and St. Thomas' Foundation Trust, London, as Research Assistant.

On being awarded a scholarship Jakob said,

‘I am extremely grateful to be part of the first cohort of Martin Lee Scholars at The University of Edinburgh. The scholarship not only provide me with an opportunity to study at one of the best universities in the world, but also reliefs me of financial stress and allows me to solely focus on my research and extracurricular actives. I truly feel very lucky to be a Martin Lee Scholar.’

Publications:

• Kolundzic et al. (2019) Induced pluripotent stem cell line heterozygous for p.R501X mutation in filaggrin: KCLi003-A. Stem Cell Res 39:101527
• Jeriha et al. (2020) Markers for Ca++ -induced terminal differentiation of keratinocytes in vitro under defined conditions. Exp Dermatol 12:1238-1242
• Jeriha et al. (2020) mRNA-Based Reprogramming Under Xeno-Free and Feeder-Free Conditions. Methods Mol Biol Online 2454:665-674
• Ropret et al. (2021) Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line MLi-004A derived from a patient with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB). Stem Cell Res 55:102463

Research:

Rotation 1: Establishing a platform to investigate hepatic immune responses using human chemically reprogrammed liver progenitors (hCLiPS).  Lab of Prof Kei Kaji, CRM.

Rotation 2: Modelling mosaic loss of CDX2 in the anterior primitive streak with hESC and micropatterning. Lab of Dr Guillaume Blin, CRM.

PhD project: Developing human chemically reprogrammed liver progenitors (hCLiP) as tools for disease modelling, drug testing and cell therapy. Lab of Prof Kei Kaji. Co-supervisors: Dr Prakash Ramachandran, CIR,  and Dr My Linh Huynh, CRM.