Marcus Dawson

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences
• Possible selection advantage of mtDNA deletion mutations.

The ageing process is thought to occur due to a gradual accumulation of cellular damage, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletion mutations. At present, it remains unclear whether the shorter size and faster replication of these mutants enables them to out-compete normal molecules. During my summer project I investigated this idea using mathematical modelling of mtDNA replication and degradation, to measure the conditions under which mtDNA deletions take over the population of a cell. My results suggested that differences in how often mtDNAs are destroyed by cells may contribute to our knowledge of why some species live longer than others.

Funding source: Newcastle University

Studies at the University of Manchester