Gene Function and Therapies Staff

 Alex Stephens

 
  Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Hons) in Molecular Biology at Griffith University. Currently: First year PhD student in the Laboratory of Dr Nigel Morrison. The focus of his project is on an osteoblast specific transcription factor crucial for bone development. Several mutations in this gene have been attributed to the skeletal disorder cleidocranial dysplasia. The Morrison laboratory have identified a number of mutations in the gene known to influence bone parameters and he is in the process of characterizing the polymorphisms using functional studies in cell culture models. The objective of the study is functionally characterize the variants in an attempt to elucidate the pathways and mechanisms by which the mutations alter gene function.