Project Title: Investigation of stress-induced senescence associated with ageing and neurodegeneration
Supervisor: Dr Raffaella Nativio, Professor Jesus Gil
Location: Level 7, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, 86 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ
About Me
I am a Clinical Medical Research PhD student in the Nativio lab in the Department of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, investigating stress-induced senescence associated with ageing and neurodegeneration. Before starting my PhD, I completed a BSc in Biomedical Science at Queen Mary University of London where I focused on genetics and molecular biology with a project on cellular senescence in Crohn’s Disease. I then went on to do a MRes in Experimental Neuroscience at Imperial, where I undertook three projects focusing on neurodegeneration in three different areas of neuroscience, including neuroimaging at Imperial, molecular biology in the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) centre at Imperial, and bioinformatics at University College London (UCL). Furthermore, I have worked as a nursing assistant with patients with age-related neurodegenerative disorders, ever since starting my studies in medical science, which have been a key driver for pursuing a masters in neuroscience and now a PhD focusing on ageing and neurodegeneration.
Qualifications
- 2021-2022: MRes Experimental Neuroscience, Imperial College London (External projects at the UK DRI and UCL)
- 2018-2021: BSc Biomedical Science, Queen Mary University of London
Research Interests
Ageing is the top risk factor for neurodegeneration, however the mechanisms of how ageing predisposes or drives neurodegeneration is not yet known. I am interested in understanding how the interplay of genetic and environmental factors contribute to epigenetic regulation in ageing and neurodegeneration. Within this topic, my current research uses stress-induced senescence as a model to investigate epigenetic pathways in brain cells across multiple types of stresses in ageing and neurodegeneration.
Presentations and Conferences
- Poster at ASAP Celebration of Scientific Achievement (COSA) 2022
Contact Details
Email: i.bomann21@imperial.ac.uk
LinkedIn: ida-cathrine-bomann
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.
