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Professor Melinda Duer's research focuses on the molecular structure of biological tissues, including bulk structural tissues such as bone, muscle, tendon, and skin, collectively referred to as the extracellular matrix. This extracellular material imparts essential mechanical properties to tissues, such as stiffness and toughness in bone and elasticity in skin. The complexity of the molecular structure of the extracellular matrix makes it a challenging area of study, particularly as structural changes can lead to issues associated with aging and diseases like cancer or degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis. Duer investigates how cells respond to the molecular cues of their surrounding extracellular matrix and how changes in this structure can result in aberrant cell behavior, such as in cancers and imperfect tissue repair. A major theme of her research is to understand how restoring normal cell behavior can be achieved through the restoration of normal extracellular matrix structure, ultimately aiming to drive the development of new therapeutics for degenerative diseases. Her work is funded by several prestigious organizations, including the European Research Council and the Medical Research Council.
University of Cambridge • Cambridge, England
Leading the research group focused on molecular structures of biological tissues.
Standard postgraduate requirements for Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) and related humanities departments.