The actin cytoskeleton is one of the most fundamentally important components of cellular architecture. Simply put, without it cells could not move, they could not change shape, and they could not interact with each other or their outside environment. Many diseases, such as cancers and myopathies, can be traced back to defective actin.
In this talk, Dr Jonathan Gadsby will use exciting biological imaging examples to highlight the diversity of structures that the actin cytoskeleton can assemble into. Jonathan will discuss how defects in the process can contribute to common and rare diseases, and how increasing our understanding of how actin works now allows us to more effectively treat and relieve disease symptoms for patients.
The talk will be followed by a Q&A session.
Jonathan Gadsby is a postdoctoral researcher in the Gallop Group (Gurdon Institute and Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge) specialising in cell biology and imaging. Over the last five years he has been researching how actin cytoskeleton misregulation contributes to cellular uptake defects in the rare disease Lowe Syndrome.
