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SUMMARY:My Life in Science Seminar: Determination in life\, science and ce
 lls - Professor Kathy Niakan\; Francis Crick Institute 
DTSTART:20220510T123000Z
DTEND:20220510T133000Z
UID:TALK170525@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Bobbie Claxton
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\nThe mechanisms that regulate early cell fate decisi
 ons in human development remain poorly understood\, despite their fundamen
 tal biological importance and wide-reaching clinical implications for unde
 rstanding infertility\, miscarriages\, developmental disorders\nand therap
 eutic applications of stem cells. We seek to uncover when and how human em
 bryonic epiblast cells are established and maintained\, and to understand 
 the molecular mechanisms that distinguish these pluripotent cells from ext
 ra-embryonic cells during embryogenesis. We developed and are further pion
 eering methods to investigate gene function during human embryogenesis usi
 ng CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing\, TRIM-Away protein depletion\, con
 stitutively active and kinase dead variants of proteins and small molecule
  inhibitors and activators. These approaches enable us to directly test th
 e function of genes involved in signalling\, and key transcription factors
  downstream of these pathways\, which we hypothesize are involved in the f
 irst and second cell fate decision in humans. Altogether\, we seek to make
  significant advances in our understanding of the molecular programs that 
 shape early human embryogenesis\, which has the potential to provide funda
 mental insights and to drive clinical translation.\n\nBiog:\nKathy Niakan 
 is Mary Marshall and Arthur Walton Professor of the Physiology of Reproduc
 tion and Director of the Centre for Trophoblast Research at the University
  of Cambridge from 2020. She is Chair of Cambridge Reproduction\, an inter
 disciplinary strategic research initiative bringing together expertise fro
 m 42 different departments\, faculties and associated institutions to offe
 r fresh perspectives on reproduction and to engage with the public on sens
 itive areas of research. From 2021\, Dr. Niakan has been an Honorary Group
  Leader at the Babraham Institute and Affiliate Member of the Cambridge St
 em Cell Institute. She is a Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute\, 
 formerly the National Institute for Medical Research\, since 2013. Prior t
 o this she was a Centre for Trophoblast Research Next Generation Research 
 Fellow in Cambridge.\n\nHer experience as a refugee informs her approach a
 nd commitment to diversity and inclusion\, which she aims to support and r
 epresent in any role. Her family fled Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and ev
 entually emigrated to the USA. This experience allows her to bring insight
 s into the language\, cultural\, social and economic barriers that other i
 mmigrants or underrepresented minorities may face.\n\nHer laboratory obtai
 ned the first nationally regulated approval to genetically modify human em
 bryos in research which attracted widespread policy interest. Kathy provid
 ed evidence and advice in genome editing to members of the UK Parliament H
 ouse of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee\, European Commiss
 ion\, WHO and an International Commission on the clinical use of germline 
 genome editing\, among numerous other international government agencies an
 d policy teams. She is a member of the ISSCR Board of Directors and was a 
 member of the Task Force Committee to update ISSCR Guidelines in 2021.\n\n
 Click here to join live - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82902337911 
LOCATION:Online via zoom
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