Dr Julia Maryam Arasteh

Postdoctoral Fellow

Alumni

This person is a member of Sanger Institute Alumni.

Maryam's research involves the functional analysis of novel genes associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using knockout animal models generated through the Mouse Genetics Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

IBD is a growing health concern in industrialised countries which is estimated to affect about 240,000 people in the UK alone, approximately 400 patients per 100,000 of the population (Rubin et. al. 2000 Aliment Pharmacol Ther). The hallmark of disease is chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease being the two most common forms of IBD. The exact aetiology of IBD remains unknown but both genetics and the microbial community within the gut have been shown to play a role.

Maryam’s research is based on Genome wide association studies (GWAS) carried out in recent years which have identified a number of genes associated with IBD. The aim is to identify novel genes associated with disease which are also implicated in the symbiotic relationship with intestinal bacteria and to study their function in detail. The goal is to find new cellular pathways that contribute to disease and may be used as possible therapeutic targets in the future.

My timeline

• Joined the Host-Microbiota Interactions Laboratory, The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

• PhD in Biomedical research, BMRC, University of East Anglia, Norwich, England.

• MSc in Human Immunology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

• BSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Shiraz University of Sciences, Iran.