Dr Alison Tyson-Capper
Senior Lecturer in Molecular & Reproductive Biology

Alison Tyson-Capper (nee Pollard)

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Group Leader and Prinical Investigator
  • ICM Postgraduate Coordinator* 

* PhD OPPORTUNITIES – Our Institute is always open to informal enquiries and will consider applications from prospective PhD students. If you have any queries about the research programmes (or potential PhD supervisors) within the Institute of Cellular Medicine (ICM), please feel free to contact me for further information. Email address: alison.tyson-capper@ncl.ac.uk


 

Committee Member

  • ICM Executive Committee
  • ICM Postgraduate Committee (Chair)
  • ICM Management Committee
  • Faculty PGR Committee
  • ICM Athena Swan SAT


  • PhD, MRes and UG student supervisor
  • PhD external and internal examiner
  • PhD, MD and MPhil progress assessor
  • ICM seminar co-ordinator
  • MRes and UG student personal tutor
  • MBBS student annual appraiser (stage 1 and 2)

 

  • QUALIFICATIONS:
    1994 BSc (Hons) Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Liverpool
    1999 PhD Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Liverpool

Previous Positions

01/07/05-31/07/10 Lecturer
1/2/02-30/6/05 Senior Research Associate, University of Newcastle,
(Wellcome Trust funded, Level three, 1/2/02- 31/1/04; University of Newcastle funded, 2/2/05-30/6/05)
1/11/98-28/1/02 Research Associate, University of Newcastle (Action Research funded)

 Research Interests:

I have worked extensively on alternative pre-mRNA splicing and the role of splicing factors (RNA-binding proteins) primarily using the human myometrium (uterine smooth muscle) as a model system.

We are interested in defining the muscle-specific splicing signature of genes temporally and spatially regulated within the human myometrium and define what impact they have on the functionality of the pregnant and non-pregnant myometrium.

We are also studying cancer-associated alternative splicing events in the context of breast cancer biology and receptor status. Our work aims to help define how alternative splicing events change in different cancer subtypes and what impact these changes may potentially have on disease progression, cell survival and drug resistance.

We are also interested in studying cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with activation of TLR signalling pathways; this research theme includes several active projects in human reproductive medicine and TLR responses to metal ions.

Current Research Themes:

  • Muscle-specific splicing in the human pregnant myometrium
  • Molecular signatures of biomarkers and receptors in breast cancer
  • TLR signalling pathways/mechanisms in human tissues

PhD Supervision

11 Postgraduate students have graduated from my supervision since 2006 (3 PhD students and 8 MRes students). I am happy to consider applications from self-funded students.

Current students:

  • Helen Lawrence MRes/PhD (1st supervisor)
  • Andrew Best PhD (co-supervisor)
  • Elaine Hong MRes/PhD (1st supervisor)
  • Marina Danienko (co-supervisor)

Reviewer for grants:

MRC, Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research, BBSRC, Wellbeing for Women, Breast Cancer Campaign.

Reviewer for manuscripts:

Molecular Human Reproduction, Reproductive Sciences, Molecular Endocrinology PlosONE, FEBS letters,

Main techniques:

mini-gene construction; transient and stable transfections; reporter assays; gene silencing techniques (RNAi and morpholinos); nuclear splicing assays; DNA and RNA mobility shift assays; protein: RNA-binding assays; immunoprecipitation; PCR (conventional and Real-time, Q-PCR arrays); TLR signalling assays.

Funding:

Action Medical Research, Wellcome Trust, RVI Breast Cancer Appeal, Dr William Harker Foundation, The JGW Patterson Foundation, William Luccock and Ernest Jeffcock Foundation,,Charles & Elsie Sykes Charitable Trust, Breast Cancer Campaign,,Wellbeing for Women (WOW),Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, NIHR BRC.

Undergraduate Teaching

  • PSC2015 Reproductive and Developmental Physiology (stage 2)-Module Leader
  • PSC3012 Integrated Physiology (stage 3)
  • Personal Tutor
  • Assessor (oral presentations and dissertations)
  • (oral presentations and dissertations)

Postgraduate Teaching  

  • ICM Postgraduate Coordinator
  • PhD and MRes supervisor  
  • PhD examiner and assessor
  • MRes assessor (oral presentations and dissertations)