Jade is an undergraduate research assistant and recipient of a Medical Research Scotland Vacation Scholarship

Project title: Effects of toxicants on nkx2.5 gene expression and cardiac development in zebrafish

Funding: Medical Research Scotland

Supervisor: Ted Henry

Project description: Heart disease affects many people across the world and is often caused by environmental or genetic factors causing abnormalities in heart formation and development. This project seeks to further explore the role of the transcription factor nkx2.5, which is known to be important in playing a role in heart development. This gene is highly similar in humans and zebrafish, making zerbafish a perfect model organism with which to explore how nkx2.5 expression may be affected by toxicants and also to characterise how this will then effect the development and growth of the heart