Matthew Nolan, PhD, Post-doctoral Researcher

I joined the Lagier-Tourenne lab as a postdoctoral fellow at MGH and Harvard Medical School in October 2019. My main interest is in understanding the molecular mechanisms underpinning amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, with a focus on the role of RNA binding proteins in disease pathogenesis. We’re particularly interested in how a reduction in one RNA-binding protein at the nucleus, TDP-43, can lead to the reduction of another protein called STMN2 elsewhere in the cell. My project is based around understanding how we can manipulate STMN2 expression, with a view to targeting it therapeutically. Prior to joining the Lagier-Tourenne lab, I completed a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, supervised by Dr. Olaf Ansorge. During my doctoral work I developed new ways of quantifying ALS pathology in the human brain to understand why some cells appear to be more susceptible to the protein aggregation associated with the disease than others.

Education

BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science - Nottingham Trent University, UK

MSc Molecular Medicine - University of Sheffield, UK

DPhil Clinical Neuroscience - University of Oxford, UK