Dr. Craig J Anderson

Postdoctoral Fellow

  • MRC Human Genetics Unit
  • Institute of Genetics and Cancer

Contact details

Address

Street

Crewe Road

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH4 2XU

Background

Craig uses the principles of evolutionary biology  to understand how exposure to chemicals contributes towards mutagenesis and adaptation. After attaining a PhD in ecotoxicology from Cardiff University, Craig was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the CSIRO in Canberra, working to understand pesticide resistance in insects.

To supercharge his research, he moved into cancer genomics, taking a postdoc in Martin Taylor’s lab at the MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh. As part of the Liver Cancer Evolution consortium, they discovered that DNA damage is inherited and can lead to a previously unrealised source of genetic variation in cancer, called multiallelism and have gone on to reveal the dynamism of a wide range of mutational processes that occur during tumourigenesis, following exposure to mutagens.

Craig’s ambition is to take his research forward as an independent scientist, profiling the heterogeneity from inherited DNA damage so that mutagen exposure can be better surveilled and controlled. 

CV

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Qualifications

First (Hons) BSc Biological Sciences, Plymouth University, UK

PhD, Cardiff University and Centre of Ecology and Hydrology Wallingford, UK. Title: Mechanistic Bases of Metal Tolerance: Linking Phenotype to Genotype

Responsibilities & affiliations

Committee member of the Genetics Society (2022-2023)

Organiser Mutations in Time and Space conference (2024-2025)

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

Zicheng Yu (PhD): DNA-embedded ribonucleotides in the genome: Locations, quantities and functions.

Research summary

I come from a deeply varied evolutionary biology background and most recently played a key role in a body of work titled “Pervasive lesion segregation shapes cancer genome evolution”. My co-authors and I discovered that DNA damage from mutagenic processes, such as UV irradiation and tobacco smoke, is heritable.

I designed and performed bioinformatic analyses able to demonstrate that repeated replication over unrepaired DNA adducts leads not only to allelic diversity, but also combinations of alleles. These patterns are consistent across a murine phylogeny and encouragingly, exploration of the molecular mechanisms underlying this previously unfounded source of cancer heterogeneity is providing a glut of fundamental insights into somatic evolutionary processes.

My current work within the MRC HGU is to understand the sources and effects of genetic diversity as I begin to unravel the effects of DNA damage retention in various contexts, including during development and tumouregensis. My work within Martin Taylor's lab and with our collaborators is already beginning to foster wide-reaching and impactful results on the role of exogenous exposure to mutagens.

Current research interests

Somatic evolution, mutagenesis, mutation signatures, collateral mutagenesis, DNA replication, DNA damage, multiallelism, mosaicism, DNA sequencing, exogenous mutagens, cancer, toxicology, selection, adaptation, chemotherapy, bioinformatics, genetics, computational genomics. Available as a reviewer to journals under these themes.

Past research interests

For a complete list of my publications, check https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2832-9313

Knowledge exchange

I founded and was lead organiser of the Mutations in Time and Space conference, held here in Edinburgh: www.mutationmeeting.com

The follow up is taking place in Boston 23-25 April 2025.