About me

I completed my BSc in Biomedical Science at the University of Sheffield. My favourite undergraduate modules sparked my interest in developmental signalling pathways and their role in cell fate determination. This led me to undertake my MSc by Research at the University of York focusing on the FGF signalling pathway. Having thoroughly enjoyed my masters, I decided to pursue a PhD in this area as furthering our understanding of how specific cell types are induced and maintained may improve future treatment of disease.

My project

Stem cells give rise to a host of specialised, differentiated cell types during development. This involves the highly coordinated activation of sets of regulatory genes in specific groups of cells within the developing embryo. The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathway is an important regulator of gene expression during development. My project will investigate transcriptional regulation by FGF in the switch from pluripotency to cell lineage commitment, focusing on skeletal muscle lineage.

Connect

Twitter: @LauraMCowell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauramcowell