Signalling to the developing epigenome
Lead Research Organisation:
Babraham Institute
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
Key signalling events are important in making developmental decisions (eg lineage commitment, gastrulation) and we focus on understanding the connections between signalling systems and the epigenome. Furthermore, it is possible that environmental and nutritional states signal, potentially through the same cascades, to the epigenome, thus resulting in durable and potentially heritable ch anges much later in life and across generations. We are addressing the following objectives: (1) FGF4 and MAPK/ERK signalling in cell fate switch between ES and TS cells and induced changes to the epigenome, (2) the role played by FGF signalling and Pc silencing in gastrulation, (3) the effects of diet on the epigenomes of metabolic control centres in the brain, and (4) signalling pathways in mediating environmental regulation of the epigenome in controlling cardiomyocyte hypertrophy
Planned Impact
unavailable
Organisations
- Babraham Institute (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Toronto (Collaboration)
- Karolinska Institute (Collaboration)
- Sapienza University of Rome (Collaboration)
- Broad Institute (Collaboration)
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- University of Edinburgh (Collaboration)
- Paris Diderot University (Collaboration)
- EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL - EBI) (Collaboration)
- Active Motif (Collaboration)
- BABRAHAM INSTITUTE (Collaboration)
- University of Bonn (Collaboration)
Publications
Andrews PW
(2017)
Assessing the Safety of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Derivatives for Clinical Applications.
in Stem cell reports
Bachman M
(2015)
5-Formylcytosine can be a stable DNA modification in mammals.
in Nature chemical biology
Branco MR
(2016)
Maternal DNA Methylation Regulates Early Trophoblast Development.
in Developmental cell
Cambuli F
(2014)
Epigenetic memory of the first cell fate decision prevents complete ES cell reprogramming into trophoblast.
in Nature communications
Collier AJ
(2017)
Comprehensive Cell Surface Protein Profiling Identifies Specific Markers of Human Naive and Primed Pluripotent States.
in Cell stem cell
Collinson A
(2016)
Deletion of the Polycomb-Group Protein EZH2 Leads to Compromised Self-Renewal and Differentiation Defects in Human Embryonic Stem Cells.
in Cell reports
Freire-Pritchett P
(2017)
Global reorganisation of cis-regulatory units upon lineage commitment of human embryonic stem cells.
in eLife
| Description | External factors such as growth factors are well known to alter a cell's behaviour by triggering specific signalling cascades. We have found that these signalling cascades also directly impact on the epigenome, thereby possibly causing long-lasting changes to the cell's developmental capacity. Key findings during this award are that we have shown that the stability of DNA methylation differs across the genome when embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are trans-differentiated towards a trophoblast stem cell (TSC)- like fate. The availability of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) reprograms DNA methylation at some loci; however, other loci are particularly refractory to epigenetic reprogramming. We show that this epigenetic memory normally prevents full lineage conversion in stem cell models. Furthermore, a specific cocktail of transcription factors was identified that, in conjunction with altered growth factor signalling, can induce trophoblast cell fate in fibroblasts. We show that this is likely possible because the epigenetic lineage barriers are less prominent in fibroblasts compared to ESCs. This was the first evidence of direct reprogramming to the trophoblast lineage. We have established a conserved mechanism involving a departure of the cardiomyocyte epigenome from its adult cellular identity to a reprogrammed state that is accompanied by reexpression of fetal genes and pathological hypertrophy. Our results suggest that targeting specific microRNAs and histone methylation loss is a viable therapeutic approach for the treatment of heart disease. |
| Exploitation Route | Our work has been noted and taken up by others as evidenced by publications building on our work. |
| Sectors | Education Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
| URL | https://www.babraham.ac.uk/our-research/epigenetics |
| Description | Our research in this award has uncovered new links between signalling and the developing epigenome. These connections are being increasingly appreciated by those working with Assisted Reproductive Technologies, such as IVF. Here, the Treatment Clinics are interested in considering whether the conditions used to grow preimplantation stage human embryos are affecting the epigenome in the developing embryo, and whether further work is needed to take into account what we now know about the crosstalk between growth factor signalling and epigenetic processes. As part of the wider Babraham Institute strategy, across the course of this ISP we have developed a much broader public engagement strategy, undertaking large prestigious events including two Royal Society exhibits specifically showcasing our work (Epigenetics: DNA is not your destiny and Race Against the Ageing Clock), as well as presentations at local science fairs and engagement with local schools. We have also contributed substantially to transferable skills development, analytical thinking and training, mentoring and career development. |
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | Babraham Institute Public Dialogue 2015 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | Improved public understanding of biological sciences and the work of the Babraham Institute |
| URL | http://www.babraham.ac.uk/get-involved/partnerships-page/public-dialogue |
| Description | CTR Board of Managers (MH) |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Member, Board of Managers of the Centre for Trophoblast Research, Cambridge assessing funding for targetted PhD studentship and Next Generation fellowship applciations and influencing science strategy within this research area. |
| Description | Contribution to POSTnote on genome editing |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| URL | http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/POST-PN-0541 |
| Description | H2020 EU-LIFE project "LIBRA", co-lead work package "Gender Equality in Research" |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Consideration of gender effects in research, appreciation that there may be sex differences in cell lines, animal models and treatment regimes that ought to be taken into consideration when designing studies. |
| Description | ISCI (Bar Harbor) |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Proposed guidelines for regulatory authorities in USA, UK, EU and Japan for stem cell-based therapies. |
| Description | Review panel member, DFG Clinical Research Unit (Germany) (MH) |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | Funding assessment for a major research unit on male infertility which includes improvement of patient treatment options and better patient assessment and stratification. Funding was recommended by teh panel and was implemented. |
| Description | 16ALERT: BD FACS-Aria Fusion - strengthening the cell sorting capabilities of Babraham Institute Flow Core to enrich world-class science |
| Amount | £449,452 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R00076X/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2017 |
| End | 08/2018 |
| Description | EU BLUEPRINT |
| Amount | £500,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 282510 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Department | Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | European Union (EU) |
| Start | |
| Description | EU NoE EpiGeneSys |
| Amount | £400,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 257082 |
| Organisation | European Commission |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Belgium |
| Start | |
| Description | MRC CASE |
| Amount | £112,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2016 |
| End | 10/2020 |
| Description | Next Generation Fellowship for postdoctoral researcher Dr Paulina Latos |
| Amount | £167,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Department | Centre for Trophoblast Research |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2013 |
| End | 08/2016 |
| Description | US Partnering Award: Cellular heterogeneity, signalling and decision-making in human pluripotent stem cells |
| Amount | £48,164 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/R021341/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 04/2022 |
| Title | Identification of cell-surface proteins that can distinguish between human pluripotent states |
| Description | We have developed a new method to identify and flow-sort human naive and primed pluripotent stem cells based on their different cell-surface protein expression. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We have published our method (Cell Stem Cell, 2017) and we anticipate other researchers to use the method in their own research. |
| Title | Aging Cell 2018 |
| Description | We provide expression (RNA-seq) and epigenetic (ChIP-Seq and BS-Seq) data sets for young adult and aged mouse neural stem cells. The data are accessible at GEO under Accession Number GSE101610. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We anticipate that other researchers will use our published data sets to identify candidate regulators of age-associated neurogenic decline. |
| Title | Cell Reports 2016 |
| Description | This data collection relates to RNA-sequencing data related to our 2016 publication in Cell Reports. The data have been deposited to GEO under accession number GSE76626. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We anticipate that other researchers will use our data. |
| Title | Cell Stem Cell 2017 |
| Description | We have deposited RNA-sequencing data related to our publication in Cell Stem Cell, 2017. The data have been uploaded to GEO under accession number GSE93241. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The data relate to the reprogramming of human pluripotent stem cells. We anticipate that these data will be used by other researchers. |
| Title | ChIP-seq profiles for Tet1 in TSCs (GSE109545) |
| Description | Chromatin binding profiles of Tet1 protein in trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Data allow to determine the functional role of Tet1 in TSCs |
| Title | ChIP-seq profiles for numerous transcription factors in TSCs (E-MTAB-3565) |
| Description | Chromatin binding profiles for Esrrb, Tfap2c, Lsd1, Nr0b1 and others in TSCs |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Datasets were deposited in publicly available databases. Results helped identify the transcriptional networks operational in trophoblast stem cells, the precursors of the placenta. These insights will be immensely useful for other researchers in the field. |
| Title | DMDD |
| Description | As part of the Wellcome Trust funded Strategic Award "Deciphering the Mechanisms of Developmental Diseases", we have generated a database in which we collect phenoytping data of the mouse placenta at various gestational stages. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Broad survey of embryonic lethal gene mutations for defects in embryonic and placental development. Efforts will lead, for the first time, to a global overview of the number and identity of genes, and the molecular pathways they regulate, involved in the development of the placenta as an essential organ ensuring reproductive success and health of the baby. |
| URL | http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/news/deciphering-the-mechanisms-of-developmental-disorders-progress-report... |
| Title | Elf5 and Esrrb protein interactomes in TSCs (PXD002183) |
| Description | IP->MS/MS datasets of interaction partners of the key transcription factors Esrrb and Elf5 in trophoblast stem cells (TSCs). |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Data deposited in publicly accessible databases. Results are instrumental to gain a detailed understanding of how TSCs operate, which will be important to move the field of reproductive biology and pregnancy (normal and pathological) forward. |
| URL | http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/archive/ |
| Title | Transcriptome datasets of reproductive tissues in ageing females (GSE98901) |
| Description | RNA-seq datasets of trophoblast, endometrium and deciduae of mouse conceptuses developed in young versus aged females |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Significant changes imposed by maternal age on expression profiles of endoemtrial tissue and decidual development. Work shows the impact of the older female on reproductive success, unrelated to oocyte fitness. |
| Title | Webtool for integration of high-throughput datasets and their rapid analysis |
| Description | Generation of a webtool allowing rapid data analysis of high-througput sequencing datasets. |
| Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Webtool allows to upload and integrate multiple datasets of different nature (such as ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, DNA methyaltion profiles) and allows to perform rapid multivariate analyses on them to find co-occpuancy, mutual exclusion etc |
| Title | eLife 2017 |
| Description | High-through sequencing data related to our 2017 published in eLife. Data deposited in GEO under accession number GSE86821 |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We provide the coordinates for promoter-enhancer interactions in human pluripotent cells and differentiated cells. The data will be re-used by other researchers. Too early for measured impacts. |
| Description | Active Motif DNA modification antibody |
| Organisation | Active Motif |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Commercialisation of DNA modification antibodies we have made |
| Collaborator Contribution | Commercialisation of DNA modification antibodies we have made |
| Impact | Commercially available antibodies |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Bioinformatics analysis of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data |
| Organisation | EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL - EBI) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Provided extensive high-throughput sequencing datasets for analysis. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expert analysis of ChIP-seq data and data mining of existing datasets |
| Impact | Multi-discipliniary, involving mathematical biology and bioinformatics. Joint manuscript submitted October 2014 |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Bioinformatics analysis of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data |
| Organisation | University of Toronto |
| Country | Canada |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Provided large-scala datasets for analysis. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Analysed the data. |
| Impact | Latos P.A., Sienerth A.R., Murray A., Senner C.E., Muto M., Ikawa M., Oxley D., Burge S., Cox B. and Hemberger M. (2015). Elf5-centered transcription factor hub controls trophoblast stem cell self-renewal and differentiation through stoichiometry-sensitive shifts in target gene networks. Genes & Development, 29: 2435-2448. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Claire Rougeulle |
| Organisation | Paris Diderot University |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have provided cell lines and contributed experiments to an ongoing collaboration. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators have made key discoveries about X-chromosome inactivation in human cells. |
| Impact | Manuscript in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Deciduoma |
| Organisation | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
| Department | Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Characterisation of reproductive defects in older females |
| Collaborator Contribution | Decidualisation model to assess the effect in the absence of an implanting embryo |
| Impact | Collaborative publication (PMID: 28874785) |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Epigenetic memory in ES-to-TS cell reprogramming |
| Organisation | Babraham Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Collaboration with Dr Simon Cook on the impact of Ras-Raf-Erk signalling on ES cell reprogramming towards trophoblast. Designed overall project outline and performed experimental analyses. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provided plasmid constructs and antibody resources. Provided help and advice on specific Western blotting techniques. Provided ongoing scientific advice. |
| Impact | Cambuli F., Murray A., Dean, W., Dudzinska D., Krueger F., Andrews S., Senner C.E., Cook S. J. and Hemberger M. (2014). Epigenetic memory of the first cell fate decision prevents complete ES cell reprogramming into trophoblast. Nat. Commun., 5: 5538. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Fredrik Lanner |
| Organisation | Karolinska Institute |
| Country | Sweden |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have made new discoveries about human pluripotent states. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators have shared data, provided reagents, and participated in a shared project with us. |
| Impact | None |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Guiseppe Lupo |
| Organisation | Sapienza University of Rome |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have profiled the epigenome and transcriptome of aged neural stem cells. We have also hosted GL in our laboratory over two summers and provided training in epigenomics techniques. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners derived and characterised young and aged neural stem cells, provide expertise in neural biology, and have given training to us in neural stem cell cultures. |
| Impact | Manuscript in preparation. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Human Cell Atlas |
| Organisation | Broad Institute |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Contributed to formulating the white paper of the Human Cell Atlas. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Conceived the project and brought the international consortium together. |
| Impact | The white paper was published Regev et al 2017. It involves single cell biologists and computational and modelling scientists. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Ian Chambers |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Department | MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have identified a new role for the transcription factor Nanog in regulating heterochromatin in mouse embryonic stem cells. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our collaborators have provided key cell lines, gel shift assays and expertise to the project. |
| Impact | Paper in revision. |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Reprogramming of MEFs towards iTSCs and establishment of defined TSC culture conditions |
| Organisation | University of Bonn |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of various clones and reprogrammed cells. Bioinformatic analysis of these data. Figures for manuscripts. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Provided DNA for the above analysis. Performed other experiments to bring this project to conclusion. |
| Impact | Kubaczka C., Senner C.E., Araúzo-Bravo M.J., Sharma N., Kuckenberg P., Becker A., Zimmer A., Brüstle O., Peitz M., Hemberger M. and Schorle H. (2014). Derivation and maintenance of murine trophoblast stem cells under defined conditions. Stem Cell Reports, 2: 232-242. Kubaczka C., Senner C.E., Cierlitza M., Araúzo-Bravo M.J., Kuckenberg P., Peitz M., Hemberger M. and Schorle H. (2015). Direct induction of trophoblast stem cells from murine fibroblasts. Cell Stem Cells, 17: 557-568. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | uNK cells |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Characterisaiton of reproductive problems in older females. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Analysis of immune repertoire of implantation sites depending on maternal age. |
| Impact | Collaborative publication (PMID: 28874785). |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Babraham Schools Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | As part of the annual Babraham Schools' Day, my group hosted 5 GCSE and 5 A level students for half-day practical sessions in the lab. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Cambridge Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Exhibit about Babraham's research at Cambridge Science Festival |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Cambridge Science Festival: Molecular Explorers, Cambridge (UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Exhibit at Cambridge Science Festival, engaging with visitors at stall explaining the science and advances made in the area, answering questions and discussing outstanding research goals |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory meeting: Stem Cell Biology, New York (USA) (VPG, CS) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Participation in confenrence, poster presentation by both post-doctoral reserachers involved in this activity (VPG and CS) and engagement in discussions and broadening of scientific horizon |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | DNA extraction from fruit Babraham Campus visit from Home educated children |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Extract DNA from fruit whilst showing how to "be a scientist" to home schooled children. Impact: hands on activity to explain the basics of DNA and promote a career in research to home schooled children. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | EMBL Mammalian Genetics and Genomics Conference (MH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker at AMBL Conference Mammalian genetic and Genomic, Heidelberg, Germany |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Epigenetics lecture for Monday Biology Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Lecture to introduce the basics and the importance of Epigenetics to Biology GSCE and A-level students. Impact: improve students' understanding of Epigenetics; promote career in research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Epigenetics lecture for Teacher Twilight Session |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | An after-work lecture to introduce the basics and the importance of Epigenetics to Biology teachers. Impact: prepare teachers into Epigenetics, a subject recently introduced to the curriculae. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Gene editing (Cambridge) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 120 people attended a panel discussion about gene editing, with lots of questions from the audience and discussion afterwards, and there were several follow-up conversations from the media and patient groups. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Genetics Society and BSDB Spring Meeting, Warwick, UK (MH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker at annual spring meeting of the Genetics Society and British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB) in Warwick, UK (2017) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | IFPA Meeting, Manchester, UK (MH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk at IFPA Meeting held in Manchester, UK (2017) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | ISSHP Meeting, Berlin, Germany (MH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk at ISSHP Meeting held in Berlin, Germany (2017) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Keynote speaker, CTR Anniversary Meeting, Cambridge, UK (MH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Keynote lecture at 10th Anniversary Meeting of the Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge (2017) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Member, Board of Managers at Centre for Trophoblast Research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | As member of the Board of Managers at the CTR in Cambridge we make decisions on the award of PhD scholarships, postdoctoral fellowships and direct the general focal points of local research activity in the field of placental biology. PhD students admitted to the University of Cambridge; postdoctoral researchers' career path enhanced |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013,2014,2015,2016 |
| Description | Podcast with Dr Kat Arney on the impact of placentation and maternal age on reproductive outcome |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Podcast as descibed above |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Postgraduate course Epigenetics in Reproductive Biology, University of Murcia, Spain (VPG) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk and workshop participation as part of postgraduate course on reproductive epigenetics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017 |
| Description | Press interview on Maternal methylation inheritance |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Co-interviewee which formed part of a televised clip reporting on a recent publication and its societal/public impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Radio interview DeutschlandFunk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Radio Interview for DeutschlandFunk on the impact of maternal age on pregnancy success, irrespective of the increased risk of defects in the egg |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.deutschlandfunk.de/alter-des-uterus-entscheidend-junges-glueck-in-jungen.676.de.html?dram... |
| Description | Royal Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Our exhibition enabled a two way dialogue with the public about what we do and why it is important. I was invited to write an article for "Chemistry and Industry" magazine about our research, which was published in 2012. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Royal Society Partnering Award - CS + LW, NM, SC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Successful application for Royal Society Partnering Award. Poster 6 selected 6th form students over the course of 1 week and conducted in-depth research project. Data analysis followed at the pupils' school directly. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017 |
| Description | STEM teacher visit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | As part of a week-long visit to the Institute, my group hosted 3 biology A-level teachers from local schools for involvement in practical work in the lab over a 2-day period. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | School's Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | provided basic explanation of early development and the importance of the placenta for growth of a baby; hands-on experience for students in staining and microscopic analysis of a mouse placenta rose awareness of research activities and importance of basic research to understand common pregnancy-associated diseases |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016 |
| Description | Schools Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Project design, scientific background induction and practical supervision for 6th form students as well as teachers during Annual Schools Day. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016,2017 |
| Description | Schools Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Groups of 5-6 6th-form students take part in a one-day visit to 2 research groups at the Babraham Institute and conduct two small research experiments during that day. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| Description | Short talk to LIYSF students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Short introduction on our research (epigenetics and nuclear organization) to students attending London International Youth Students Forum (LIYSF). Impact: introduce students to Epigenetics and promote of scientific career. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | The Ageing Cell Conference, Cambridge, UK (MH) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invited talk at The Ageing Cell Conference held in Cambridge, UK (2017) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Twilight teacher training event, Bioscience lite-CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing- technology, applications and implication, Cambridge (UK) (VPG) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Talk and Q&A session with high school teachers to update and inform them on state-of-the-art genome editing tools |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |