Catherine Sutherland

MSc student in Integrated Immunology

I am in the final term of my MSc in Integrated Immunology and will be carrying out a 14 week project within the group, focusing on sepsis. Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated immune and inflammatory response to infection that results in life-threatening organ dysfunction. It represents a substantial global public health problem, and further development of successful therapeutic interventions is needed. My project will involve analysis of whole exome sequence and genome-wide transcriptomic data from a cohort of sepsis patients. We aim to identify rare genetic variants that have an effect on levels of gene expression in these individuals. The biological relevance of variants will be considered, along with their potential contribution to disease pathogenesis.

I completed my BSc in Biomedical Sciences at Durham University. My undergraduate project involved genetic manipulation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to examine growth on non-fermentable carbon sources. I was also involved in a project that aimed to induce Beta - 2 - microglobulin expression in E. coli for biotechnological applications, as part of the Nuffield Research Placements programme.

Email: catherin@well.ox.ac.uk