Speaker: Dr. Beth Lawrence, Dean’s Prize Fellow, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Division of Molecular and Cellular Function
Seminar Title: Dissecting the roles of microtubule-associated proteins in neuronal development and disease
Abstract: Dr. Beth Lawrence, PhD, is a Dean’s Prize Fellow in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health (Division of Molecular and Cellular Function) at the University of Manchester. Her research investigates how the microtubule cytoskeleton, an internal structural scaffold within neurons, is controlled by microtubule-associated proteins and tubulin isoforms. To date, her work has focused on defining the fundamental mechanisms governing these systems under physiological conditions; moving forward, she will apply this framework to understand how disease-associated disruptions alter microtubule regulation at the molecular level, in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders and rare conditions such as tubulinopathies. By uncovering the underlying mechanisms, her work aims to improve the interpretation of patient-derived genetic variants in microtubule-related genes and to inform the development of more targeted therapeutic strategies.
