Prof Sarah Newbury's research team

PROFESSOR Newbury's Research Team

Professor Sarah Newbury heads a team engaged in ground-breaking research into the genetic control pathways regulating key cellular processes such as cell proliferation, cell movement and stem cell function.

Her lab uses the fruit fly drosophila as a model and, together with Dr Tim Chevassut, identifies biomarkers relevant to blood cancers.

Liza Faustino

Liza Faustino works as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist in Cytology at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospital and is based at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. She is also currently working with Prof Sarah Newbury investigating the role of XRN1 in osteosarcoma progression as part of her MSc in Biomedical Science at the University of Greenwich. Liza completed a BSc in Medical Technology from the Philippines and has gained molecular biology and biotech experience from working as a Research Assistant at hospital and university based research institutions.

Amy Pashler

Amy Pashler read a BSc degree in Biochemistry and Genome Science at the University of Portsmouth, graduating in 2013. She is currently in the first year of her PhD funded by the University of Brighton, focusing on the genetic basis of osteosarcoma, with particular emphasis on the role of the exoribonuclease, XRN1. Amy has previously worked at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, where she was involved in looking at alternative drug therapies for pancreatic cancer. She has worked with Prof Sarah Newbury as a Research Technician for 2 years, and was involved in studying the presence of prognostic biomarkers in melanoma. Her primary research interests are gene regulation and how it relates to the development of cancer.

Clare Rizzo-Singh

After graduating from the University of London with a degree in Biology, Clare Rizzo-Singh worked at Goldsmith's College as a research assistant on a project investigating the reproductive physiology of potential forage and fuelwood species in leguminosae. She then moved to the University of Sussex and worked in plant physiology. This lab's aim was to improve the salt tolerance of rice plants by screening for positive traits and crossing promising lines. After a career break bringing up her children, she returned to Sussex as a BSMS-funded research technician, supporting Prof Sarah Newbury's research team.

Sophie Robinson

Sophie Robinson studied BSc Biology at The University of Nottingham before completing her MSc in Developmental Biology at Imperial College London. She is currently in the 4th year of her PhD studying the role of an exoribonuclease called DIS3 in haematological cancer. Sophie works primarily on human cell lines and occasionally patient cells. During her PhD, she has used techniques such as transcript profiling, western blotting, cell culture, RNAi, qPCR and immunofluorescence.

Benjamin Towler

After graduating in 2012 with a BSc degree in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex, Ben Towler began his BSMS funded PhD. His research is focused on understanding the role RNA stability plays in the control of growth and proliferation within developing tissues. He uses Drosophila melanogaster as a model system and employs technqiues such as Drosophila genetics, PCR, quantitative PCR, Western Blotting, Immunocytochemistry, RNA sequencing and miRNA sequencing.