Summer Student 2017: Rachel Henderson
Rachel Henderson, supervised by Dr Helen Wheadon at the University of Glasgow, used human-relevant research to study leukaemia without using animals.
Leukaemia is a cancer of white blood cells and arises due to a genetic change in the normal stem cells that produce blood cells in the bone marrow. Studying the leukaemic stem cells that are produced is challenging as these cells are rare and difficult to isolate.
Mice are usually used to generate the cells needed for leukaemia research; however, human cells can be used instead by reprogramming them in the lab to a basic stem cell state.
Rachel, supervised by Dr Helen Wheadon at the University of Glasgow, has developed a way to grow and support the use of these human cells. Her research has the potential to replace animal products and models in leukaemia research.
Page last modified on June 13, 2019 12:18 pm