Fats, blood and DNA! Is there a link?
Introduction
Hi, my name is Kathryn McGurk and I am a cardiovascular genetics researcher – I study DNA changes that lead to heart attacks and strokes. My PhD is with the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences here at UoM, funded by the Medical Research Council.
How I got here
At secondary school I loved Biology and Chemistry, and after working as a medical receptionist, I knew I wanted to be in healthcare. I studied Natural Sciences for my undergraduate degree at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland – a general sciences course which allows you to specialise in the last two years in a science of your choice. I joined thinking I would become a chemist, but fell in love with DNA studies and therefore specialised in genetics. My final year project was trying to find out what animal an unknown 8,000 year old piece of bone can from, using DNA analyses (it was a sheep!). After this project and work experience reading DNA for a breast cancer testing kit, I knew I wanted to do a PhD in genetics and aid in cures for disease.
In Depth
For my Ph.D., I use mass spectrometry to measure fats in blood. A mass spectrometer is a machine that can measure substances at really low concentration in blood. These fats are not like cholesterol, as they can kill cells, change the size of blood vessels, and cause pain. I am trying to find out if the levels of these fats in families with high blood pressure are passed down from parents to children through DNA. I will also find if their concentrations in blood are linked to DNA – if they are increased or decreased with changes in DNA. Changes in DNA change proteins which are formed from DNA. If a DNA change makes a protein which cannot produce a fat anymore, the fat might be at low levels in the blood of people with this DNA change, which could be good or bad for heart attack and stroke risk. I hope that by identifying fats which are important in cardiovascular disease genetics, they can be used to make new tests and treatments for heart attacks and strokes.
Going Further
Read: An obvious choice, but a great scientific read: http://www.nature.com/
Search: The Google of medical research: www.pubmed.com
Watch: David Attenborough’s Planet Earth II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8aFcHFu8QM
Study: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2017/00585/bsc-life-sciences/
More: Women in Science Blog: https://womenareboring.wordpress.com/