Two undergrad student papers published

A huge shout out to two of my LIfe319 (advanced skills in genetics) students Alice Ibbotson and Fang Ziyu who have had their papers published in “Insider imprint“, the graduate student-run open access journal at the University of Liverpool.

The two papers, unsurprisingly, are excellent. Not just because they include laminins!* but also because they are easy to read yet insightful commentaries on two interesting topical areas. Definitely worth a read.

Alice’s paper explores the use of genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 as a strategy to treat inherited diseases (using junctional epidermolysis bullosa as an example). She discusses the nuts and bolts of how it can work and also the challenges and ethical implications. Read the article here.

Fang’s looks at LAMB3 (laminin beta3) as a potential therapeutic target for squamous cell carcinoma. This review discusses the rationale behind focusing on LAMB3, its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and options for how to target it therapeutically. Read the article here.

Insider imprint publishes only one issue per year and there is A LOT of competition to get in. These papers are only the first and second time any of my tutees has had work selected. All credit goes to the students! The journal publishes a variety of different article styles in addition to the insight-style articles of Alice and Fang worth checking it out. For UoL grad students – you can get involved with Insider imprint as part of the editorial/review staff. Its a great way to get insight into the publication process. Details here.

I’m really pleased to see these two articles being shared with the wider world and encourage you to check them out.

*It is of no surprise that the articles are related to laminins. These articles came at the end of a series of tutorial groups where we discussed different aspects of modern genetics through the framework of journal clubs. As the laminins are a big field; we have scope to cover every major genetics concept from functional, mechanistic, diagnostic through to therapeutic while maintaining a common thread of a single but multifaceted important protein family. The students then have freedom to develop ideas they want to explore further for their articles; they don’t have to be about laminins!