Katie West

Understanding long non-­coding RNA function

About me

I began my PhD at the University of York in October 2018. My research is focused on the role of the long non coding RNA metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) in T helper cells, working with Dr Dimitris Lagos and Professor Dawn Coverley. During my undergraduate degree at the University of York, I undertook a year in industry placement at GSK working on the innate immune system in the complement therapeutics department. In addition, as part of a final year research project I explored the role of complement receptor isoforms in various immune cells. Following my undergraduate degree, I worked with Professor Dawn Coverley as a research technician to develop an ultrasensitive method of detecting the lung cancer biomarker CIZ1b by mass spectrometry.

My project

Our cells use nearly 80% of our DNA, but less than 2% is used for making proteins. The remaining 78% generates non-­‐coding RNAs, which play crucial roles in health and disease. As the vast majority of current drugs act on proteins, non-­‐coding RNAs represent an untapped source of biological mechanistic knowledge and future drug targets. This project will focus on a long non-­‐coding RNA (lncRNA) called Malat1 that was discovered due to its association with cancer metastasis. This project aims to investigate the function and regulation of Malat1 in normal, non-­‐cancerous cells, in order to establish its physiological function (why our cells need it). Understanding lncRNA function is one of the most exciting current challenges in molecular cell biology.

Connect

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-west-561385a9/?originalSubdomain=uk

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