Project Title: Investigating the role of inducible proteasome subunits in neuronal models of tauopathies
Supervisors: Dr Yu Ye, Dr Johanna Jackson, Professor Amin Hajitou
Location: Level 7, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, 86 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ
About Me
I am a PhD student in the Ye lab in the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, investigating the role of specific proteasomal degradation systems in the pathogenesis of tauopathies, like Alzheimer’s disease. In 2022, I graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry from Imperial, where I became interested in the molecular basis of neurodegenerative disease. As part of my degree, I spent a Year Abroad in the Jockers lab at the Institut Cochin (Paris), where I was able to investigate the importance of tau to metabolic receptor dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease, alongside a parallel COVID19-focused project. In 2021, I undertook a summer UROP placement in the Ye lab, and was subsequently awarded a President’s scholarship to undertake my PhD at Imperial.
Qualifications
- 2018–2022: BSc Biochemistry with French for Science, Imperial College London
Research Interests
Aggregate accumulation and pro-inflammatory signalling are key hallmarks of neurodegenerative disorders. Both can be regulated by proteasomes, large multi-subunit complexes responsible for degrading unnecessary or misfolded proteins to maintain protein homeostasis. I am interested in whether immune-activated subunits of the proteasome may be protective or detrimental to progression of neurodegenerative disorders. My project will investigate how these subunits contribute to aggregate accumulation and pro-inflammatory signalling in tauopathies, like Alzheimer’s disease. To achieve this, I am using using super resolution imaging and biochemical techniques on cellular neuronal models, generated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, in combination with post-mortem brain tissue.
Selected Publications
Cecon E., Burridge M., Cao L., Carter L., Ravichandran R., Dam J., Jockers R. SARS-COV-2 spike binding to ACE2 in living cells monitored by TR-FRET. Cell Chem Biol. 2022; 29(1):74-83. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2021.06.008. PMID: 34246414
Workshops
EMBL Advanced Fluorescence Imaging Techniques Course (Boehringer Ingelheim Grant)
Professional memberships
- Biochemical Society
- Quantitative Biological Imaging Society
Outreach
- Great Exhibition Road Festival
- Making It Brain volunteer
Contact Details
Email: matilda.burridge18@imperial.ac.uk
LinkedIn: matilda-burridge-a518b41b4
How temperature and circadian rhythms intersect to regulate a protein shown to protect against neurodegeneration
A new study led by Dr Marco Brancaccio (UK DRI at Imperial) and Dr Marieke Hoekstra (former UK DRI at Imperial, now VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research) offers a deeper insight into how a neuroprotective pathway is regulated both by temperature and the body clock. This research, published in the journal PNAS, could open up new therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative disease. Read more on the UK DRI website
Introducing Cynthia Sandor: Pioneering earlier detection of Parkinson’s
Dr Cynthia Sandor, former Emerging Leader at the UK DRI at Cardiff, joins the UK DRI at Imperial as a Group Leader, where she will be tackling early diagnosis of Parkinson’s.
With a background in genetics, Dr Sandor uses computational methods to bring greater understanding to the underlying molecular mechanisms of Parkinson’s. Read more about Cynthia's work on the UK DRI website.
