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Research groups

Rachel Heon-Roberts

DPhil Student

Research Project

Mitochondrial dysfunction and impairment of the autophagy-lysosomal system have emerged as common mechanisms that characterise several neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease in particular. Using high-throughput imaging, electron microscopy and the CRISPRi system, my research investigates these mechanisms in the context of dementia, focussing on the impact of protein aggregation on these critical cellular systems.

Background

Whilst completing my undergraduate degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University, I became interested in neurodegenerative diseases through my time as a research student in the lab of Alexey Pshezhetsky, investigating genetically-inherited neurological lysosomal storage disorders.

After graduating from my undergraduate degree in 2019, I spent a year as a research assistant working on mitochondrial dysfunction in the context of Parkinson’s disease with the Wade-Martins group before starting my DPhil.