Summary
Leanne Felkin is a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Molecular Biology Group at the Harefield Heart Science Centre of the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London.
Dr Felkin studied Genetics and Zoology as an undergraduate at Swansea University, before spending 2 years in industry developing a DNA based security system. In 2000, Dr Felkin moved to NHLI where she managed the departmental real-time PCR facility and began her PhD research investigating the role of cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) - the non-cellular portion of the heart, often likened to the scaffolding of the tissue. In particular, she investigated the role of ECM in the development of heart failure and recovery from heart failure using left ventricular assist devices (LVADs; a type of artificial heart). Following the award of her PhD in 2007, Dr Felkin took up her current position investigating the potential of CnA1, a naturally occurring, active form of the signalling molecule calcineurin, to promote cardiac recovery following myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Dr Felkin has extensive experience in real-time PCR, especially with limited samples such as human tissue biopsies, and has published widely using these techniques including a real-time PCR chapter in Transplantation Immunology (Humana Press).
Outside of the laboratory, Dr Felkin is interested in science communication and the promotion of science as a career for young women. As a role model for Women into Science and Engineering (WISE), she has given both TV (HTV Wales) and newspaper interviews (Sunday Times, Evening Standard) and was profiled in ‘One Hundred Faces of Modern Science’, part of Science Year (2001), a nationwide initiative to promote science in schools.
Dr Felkin is the NHLI PostDoc representative for the Harefield campus.
Publications
Journals
Reichart D, Lindberg EL, Maatz H, et al., 2022, Pathogenic variants damage cell composition and single-cell transcription in cardiomyopathies, Science, Vol:377, ISSN:0036-8075, Pages:1-13
Clerk A, Meijles DN, Hardyman MA, et al., 2022, Cardiomyocyte BRAF and type 1 RAF inhibitors promote cardiomyocyte and cardiac hypertrophy in mice in vivo, Biochemical Journal, Vol:479, ISSN:0264-6021, Pages:401-424
Widjaja AA, Dong J, Adami E, et al., 2021, Redefining IL11 as a regeneration-limiting hepatotoxin and therapeutic target in acetaminophen-induced liver injury, Science Translational Medicine, Vol:13, ISSN:1946-6234
Mazzarotto F, Tayal U, Buchan RJ, et al., 2020, Re-evaluating the genetic contribution of monogenic dilated cardiomyopathy, Circulation, Vol:141, ISSN:0009-7322, Pages:387-398
Conference
Walsh R, Mazzarotto F, Whiffin N, et al., 2019, Quantitative approaches to variant classification increase the yield and precision of genetic testing in Mendelian diseases, 52nd Conference of the European-Society-of-Human-Genetics (ESHG), NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP, Pages:1720-1720, ISSN:1018-4813