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Zak Thornton

Zak Thornton

Profile

Following my undergraduate studies in Biomedical Sciences at The University of Sheffield, I completed a MSc in Genomic medicine, where I first encountered the field of statistical genetics, where I compared algorithms for detecting the length of hexanucleotide repeats in C9orf72, in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or motor neurone disease (MND)). I began my PhD studies during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Bristol, under the supervision of Professor Kathreena Kurian, where my thesis was titled: “Using genetic evidence to identify novel treatments for patients with glioma”.

Research interests

In my current postdoctoral researcher role, I am working with Professor Ann Morgan and Dr Mark Iles at the The Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine (LICAMM), where I am currently using genetic data from patients diagnosed with giant cell arteritis (GCA) to better understand the aetiology of the disease.

Qualifications

  • BSc Biomedical Sciences (Hons)
  • MSc Genomic Medicine
  • PhD Population Health Sciences

Research groups and institutes

  • Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine