Jus St. John

Biography

Prior to his appointment as Director of the Centre for Genetic Diseases (formerly known as the Centre for Reproduction and Development) in November 2009, Professor St. John most recently held the position of Professor of Reproductive Biology, at the Mitochondrial and Reproductive Genetics Research Group, Clinical Sciences Research Institute, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, UK. After completing his degree in Physiology at the University of Sheffield in 1995, Professor St. John completed his PhD entitled ‘The role of mitochondria in male fertility’ at the University of Birmingham. In 2000, Professor St. John was appointed as a Lecturer in Mitochondrial and Reproductive Genetics at the University of Birmingham. Along with his running his research program, he provided undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and supervision and was the divisional coordinator for graduate studies.

Research Interest

The overall aim of Professor St. John’s research is to understand how mitochondrial DNA is replicated, transmitted and segregated during development in order that cells, tissues and organs function efficiently. He is applying this knowledge to develop reproductive strategies for women that suffer from repeated failed fertilisation outcome or embryo developmental arrest; and enhanced genetics for animal breeding purposes. His current research focuses on developing and using stem cell and large animal models to define key mitochondrial DNA replication events during development and how they influence reproductive and developmental outcomes.