2015 Participants
Sharmaine Quake Yen Ling
Congenital heart disease is one of the most common types of birth defect, affecting up to 9 in every 1,000 babies born in the UK. It has been shown that Pax9, a transcription factor, is involved in regulating the development of the heart and its great vessels. Using transgenic mice whose Pax9 gene has been removed, malformation of the heart and the great arteries can be observed, which, often leads to lethal effects. In this study, the aim was to investigate how Pax9 interacts with other genes in order to identify a genetic network that is involved in cardiovascular development.
Project Supervisor: Dr Simon Bamforth, Institute of Genetic Medicine
Funding source: Newcastle University