Dunn School appoints new Associate Professor of Biochemistry
December 2022
We are delighted to announce that Dr Anthony Roberts will be joining the department in April 2023, strengthening our research in cell and structural biology.
A changing view of how MPS1 initiates the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint
November 2022
A new study published in Current Biology by the Gruneberg lab advances our understanding of the mechanisms by which cells correct mistakes during chromosome segregation. 3.8 million duplicated genomes have to segregate equally into daughter cells every second in our body to maintain normal cell and tissue function. Any problem in the chromosome segregation process...
CDK9 and PP2A coordinate to regulate transcription and RNA processing
October 2022
Published in EMBO reports, a new paper from the Murphy group uncovers novel roles for CDK9 and PP2A in the regulation of transcription and RNA processing. CDK9 is a kinase critical for RNA polymerase II transcription. Without it, RNA polymerase II either does not escape promoter regions or prematurely terminates. To study the function of...
Monika Gullerova recognised with Full Professor Title
August 2022
Many congratulations to Monika, who is now Professor of Molecular Medicine This recognition is part of the University of Oxford’s annual Recognition of Distinction Exercise. Prof Gullerova is also Tutor of Medicine at Wadham College. Prof Gullerova studied molecular biology at Comenius University in Bratislava and did her PhD at the University of Vienna. In...
Protein phosphorylation-mediated control of centriole growth
August 2022
Published in the Journal of Cell Biology, work by the Raff lab uncovers a key new mechanism mediated by protein phosphorylation that regulates centriole growth and duplication during the cell cycle. The cell cycle is a highly regulated cellular process required for tissue development and homeostasis, whose dysregulation is associated with cancer. Centrioles are microtubule-based...
Legendary summer party returns
July 2022
The Dunn School held its annual summer party in the University Parks After many months of social distancing and restrictions, the famous Dunn School summer party returned to roam the University Parks on Sunday, the 17th of July. Approximately 350 Dunn Schoolers and their family members attended the summer party, among them students, postdocs, staff...
Success for the Dunn School at the 2022 Vice Chancellor’s Environmental Sustainability Awards
July 2022
Dame Professor Louise Richardson hosted the 2022 Vice Chancellor’s Environmental Sustainability Awards, attended by staff and students from across the University of Oxford. The awards recognise and celebrate contributions towards the environmental goals of the University. 35 labs/facilities across the Dunn School were awarded LEAF status – with 9 receiving Gold, 16 receiving Silver and...
Ivan Ahel elected as a member of EMBO
July 2022
Prof Ivan Ahel’s leading contribution to the field ADP-ribosylation and genome stability has been recognised by his election to the membership of The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
Pulse to the beat: centrosome assembly requires a pulse of Polo kinase activity
June 2022
In a story published in the EMBO Journal, Wong, Wilmott et al. shed light on the mechanism of Polo action in the assembly of the centrosome. Cell division is an essential function of cells, and appropriate partitioning of DNA and other cellular materials is critical for the daughter cells’ functioning and survival. In animals, this process...
Company co-founded by Dunn School alumnus awarded £1.8 million to tackle Postoperative Delirium
June 2022
Dr Benjamin Dodsworth completed his PhD in the Dunn School and went on to co-found and become the Chief Scientific Officer of PIPRA (Pre-Interventional Preventive Risk Assessment) based in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 2019, PIPRA is a digital health company that aims to combat Postoperative Delirium, the most common post-surgical complication affecting 20% of patients...
Improved therapy for spinal muscular atrophy
June 2022
Published in Cell, a collaboration between the groups of Alberto Kornblihtt (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina), Adrian Krainer (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, USA) and Nick Proudfoot (Dunn School) reports an improved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a genetic disease of the central nervous system, causing muscle weakness and wasting. Affecting...
Novel insight into transcriptional functions of RNase H2 furthers our understanding of Aicardi Goutières Syndrome pathology
May 2022
Published in Nature Communications, work by the Gromak lab uncovers key new functions for RNase H2 during transcription, and provides molecular explanations for the pathology behind Aicardi Goutières Syndrome. Aicardi Goutières Syndrome (AGS) is a severe neuroinflammatory disease caused by mutations in RNase H2 in more than 50% of the cases. RNase H2 is an...
Prestigious BSCB prize for Iona Manley
May 2022
The Gruneberg lab student was recognised with the BSCB Young Cell Biologist of the Year Prize At the recent BSCB/BSDB joint spring conference at the University of Warwick, Iona Manley, a 4th year PhD student in the Gruneberg lab, won this year’s BSCB Young Cell Biologist of the Year Prize with her poster “A novel...
Susan Lea and Jordan Raff elected Fellows of the Royal Society
May 2022
Many congratulations to Susan and Jordan for this prestigious honour, recognising their contributions to structural and centrosome biology, respectively.
Andrii Gorelik awarded Wellcome Fellowship and Lincoln College Fellowship
April 2022
The prestigious fellowships will allow Dr Gorelik to conduct high-impact independent research on the exciting topic of cysteine ADP-ribosylation. Dr Andrii Gorelik of the Ahel group at the Dunn School was awarded a prestigious Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust and The Jones and Anson Junior Research Fellowship from Lincoln College, Oxford....