Derek Blake
Professor
Medicine
Cardiff University School of Medicine
United Kingdom
Biography
The Blake laboratory investigates the molecular pathology of various neuromuscular, neuropsychiatric and neurological diseases. We study diseases such as the muscular dystrophies, dystonia and schizophrenia that have a have a strong genetic component. My laboratory is particularly interested in the effects of inherited mutations and polymorphisms on the function of proteins implicated in these diseases.
Research Interest
Our group uses molecular cell biology techniques to study different diseases and cellular pathways. Specifically, we use mass spectrometry and the yeast two-hybrid system to identify proteins complexes that may be altered in the aforementioned diseases. Our recent studies have shown that the ubiquitin proteasome system can modulate the stability and trafficking of proteins associated with this diverse group of disorders. Additionally, we use fluorescence and confocal imaging systems to study physiological processes in live cells and to create cellular models of disease.
Publications
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Harvey, E.et al. 2017. Potency of human cardiosphere-derived cells from patients with ischemic heart disease is associated with robust vascular supportive ability. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 6(5), pp. 1399-1411. (10.1002/sctm.16-0229)
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Petit, E.et al. 2017. Dysregulation of specialized delay/interference-dependent working memory following loss of Dysbindin-1A in schizophrenia-related phenotypes. Neuropsychopharmacology 42(6), pp. 1349-1360. (10.1038/npp.2016.282)
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Benson, M.et al. 2017. Ryanodine receptors are part of the myospryn complex in cardiac muscle. Scientific Reports 7(1), article number: 6312. (10.1038/s41598-017-06395-6)
