Dr Christine Young

Research Fellow

  • MRC Human Genetics Unit

Contact details

Address

Street

MRC Human Genetics Unit

MRC Institute of Genetics & Molecular Medicine

The University of Edinburgh

Western General Hospital

Crewe Road South

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH4 2XU

Biography

Background

Christine obtained her B.Sc. (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences from Queen's University Belfast during which she completed a 9 month research project under the supervision of Dr. Tom Flannery. This project involved the validation of an orthotopic animal model as a means of assessing Cathepsin S expression and invasion in Actrocytomas.

Christine's doctoral studies were also undertaken at Queen's University within the Blood Cancer group at the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, where she worked under the supervision of Prof. Ken Mills. During this time, she assesed the effects of epigenetic combination therapies in treating AML and used gene expression analysis to identify pathways that could be targeted using novel combinations therapies.

Christine has recently joined the lab of Dr. Maria Christophorou at the MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh where her research entails trying to elucidate the role of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PADI4) in both normal and malignant haematopoieisis. 

Qualifications

Bachelor of Science, Queen's University, Belfast Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Queen's University, Belfast

Current research interests

Citrullination or deimination is the conversion of an arginine residue to citrulline. This process is carried out by enzymes called peptidylarginine deiminases (PADIs) and is important in various physiological conditions. The deregulation of PADI4 has been implicated in a number of diseases including inflammatory and autoimmune disorders in addition to cancers. As yet, the mechanisms behind PADI4 regulation in relation to these processes are not fully understood. Christine's current research involves trying to understand the role that PADI4 plays in the development of the haematopoietic system under normal physiological conditions and the importance of PADI4 deregulation in leukaemia development and/or maintenance.
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