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Staff Profile

Dr Helen Phillips

Senior Lecturer

Background

I have a long-standing interest in the heart and my areas of expertise are the genetics of heart development and cardiac disease.

2002 PhD ‘Molecular Genetic Investigation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome’, Newcastle University;

My PhD focused on identifying the genes disrupted at the chromosomal translocation break point in a patient with Hypoplastic Left heart Syndrome, which could be underlying cause of this severe congenital heart defect.

2002-2008 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Newcastle University

My post-doctoral position focused on studying the role of the noncanonical Wnt pathway in heart development using transgenic mouse models.

2008-2011 Newcastle University Fellowship, Newcastle University

During my fellowship I studied the role of Rho Kinase, a small GTPase, in different cell populations contributing to heart development using Cre-LoxP technology.

2011-2017 British Heart Foundation Intermediate Basic Science Fellowship, Newcastle University

I established my own research group and we further investigated the role of Rho Kinase, specifically in the ventricular wall, and how early embryonic defects in the heart can link to cardiac disease.

2017-present Lecturer, Newcastle University

We have a number of different projects on-going focusing on development of the ventricular wall and cardiomyopathy.

I am a member of the Biosciences Institute and work in both the Reproduction, Development and Child Health (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/research-themes/reproduction/), and the Vascular Biology and Medicine (https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/research-themes/vascular/) Themes.

 

I am the Deputy Postgraduate Research Student Coordinator for the Biosciences Institute, and Senior Tutor for the MRes programmes.

 

Google Scholar

Research

Congenital heart anomalies are one of the most common birth defects, affecting 1 in 145 births. Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the UK, accounting for approximately one third of all deaths. In response to stress on the adult heart, developmental pathways can be reactivated, suggesting that factors that play crucial roles in normal development may be involved in disease processes in adult life.

During heart development, initially, the walls of the ventricles are thin and they thicken as the heart matures. During this time cells from the outer layer of the heart, the epicardium, migrate into the myocardium and influence the maturation process of the heart muscle. During this developmental period and following birth, the cardiomyocytes change from approximately spherical cells into highly polarised rod-shaped cells. Extrapolating the cardiomyocyte maturation process will aid the understanding of the role of individual genes in cardiovascular disease and what preventative measures could be developed.

My research group is therefore investigating how certain genes are important for the growth and maturation of the heart muscle wall. Using transgenic mice, this allows us to study the role of genes of interest, specifically within subsets of the different cell populations essential for normal heart development, using the Cre/LoxP system. We use a number of imaging techniques to model the heart defects and to study gene expression.

We are focusing on a number of intracellular processes (including autophagy) and different genes, including members of the small GTPases family, Rho kinase and Rac1, to determine how they play a role in the maturation of the ventricular wall. We have found a link between embryonic heart defects and the progression to heart disease and therefore opening up the possibility of new candidate genes for cardiomyopathies.  

Enquiries are welcome from prospective PhD students who have secured funding, or who wish to apply for funding, with an interest in the genetics of heart development, congenital heart defects and cardiomyopathy. 

Teaching

Postgraduate Teaching:

I am the Module and Programme Lead for the MRes in Cardiovascular Science in Health and Disease (MMB8037). I also teach on MRes in Developmental Genetics (MMB8031).

Each year, MRes students undertake a 6 month research project in our laboratory.

Undergraduate Teaching:

I teach on Biochemistry and Genetics of Signalling and the Cell Cycle (BGM2002), Genetics (BGM1004), Genetics of Development and its Disorders (BGM3061) courses. 

In addition, each year I supervise BSc Honours students undertaking their 10 week research project. 

Publications