Dr Clare Lawrence
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Clare is a doctor in Biochemistry and in addition to her leadership role, she continues to teach across a range of subjects within Biosciences including her particular area of expertise, molecular and cellular biology.
Clare’s scientific pedigree and dedication to integrity in research methodology, promotes the highest ethical standards in students at all levels. Additionally, having recently led her team to achieve General Pharmaceutical Council reaccreditation for the MPharm (Hons) Pharmacy degree, Clare is dedicated to developing future pharmacists who are fully prepared to meet the challenges of the sector.
In Clare’s previous role as Deputy Head for Business Development and Partnerships, Clare co-ordinated the school’s activities in relation to graduate outcomes, enterprise and employability, business development planning, international development and delivery, and domestic and international partnerships.
Previous Career:
After graduating with her BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Clare undertook a PhD with Professor Mick Tuite at University of Kent at Canterbury studying prions in yeast. Clare then undertook a postdoctoral position at the University of St. Andrews, researching the response of yeast to citric acid stress, before moving to the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester where she worked for five years. During this time Clare worked for Dr Elmar Schiebel, investigating the regulation of the cell cycle in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This research was published in 2007 in the Journal of Cell Biology. Clare then took a four-year postdoctoral position in the lab of Professor Nic Jones studying the regulation of the stress response in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. This work produced three publications, two of which were accepted into the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and one published in Current Biology. Clare joined the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at University of Central Lancashire in 2009 as a lecturer in molecular biology. In 2011 she was appointed a senior lecturer in molecular and cellular biology with responsibility for the MSc in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. From 2017 until 2020, Clare was a Principal Lecturer in Biosciences, where she led the delivery of the Bioscience programmes within the school. This included the accreditation of the BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science degree by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) and the BSc (Hons) Healthcare Science degree by the IBMS, The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and NHS England. In 2020, Clare became Deputy Head of Business Development and Partnerships for the school before being appointed to Dean in 2023.
Clare has a range of research interests which utilise yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), a simple eukaryotic microorganism. There is a high degree of conservation between the cellular processes in yeast and those of human cells. This has meant the successful use of yeast as a model organism for the study of many human diseases, including cancer.
- PhD Biochemistry, University of Kent, 2001
- BA (Hons) Business Studies, Open University, 2011
- BSc (Hons) Biochemistry with Biotechnology, University of Kent, 1998
- Molecular Biology
- Gene Regulation
- Yeast
- Cancer
- Lipogenesis
- Aptamers
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member of the Biochemical Society
- Member of the Microbiology Society
- Member of the Pharmacy Schools Council
- Member of Lancashire and South Cumbria IMOC
Clare’s research interests centre around three main areas : The use of aptamers to diagnose and target disease. Aptamers are short oligonucleotides, either RNA or DNA, which have been successfully used to specifically target a range of different cell types. The nucleotide sequence of the aptamer causes it to fold into a specific three-dimensional shape, which allows it to bind to target molecules. As such, aptamers are similar to antibodies, but possess a number of key advantages including size, stability, reduce immunogenicity and simple conjugation chemistry. Therefore, aptamers offer several properties which enable them to be a useful tool for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Clare has several projects in this area
• Use of aptamers in both the diagnosis and management of mastitis and the detection of antibiotics residues following treatment (in collaboration with Myerscough College)
• Identification and validation of novel aptamers against fungal cells for the targeting of antifungal agents
• Development of novel aptamers for tumour targeting and therapy (with Dr Jane Alder and Dr Lisa Shaw)
Investigating the regulation of tumour associated lipogenesis using the model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is important for cells to respond to external signals, central to these responses are the sensing and signalling pathways that communicate with the nucleus and facilitate necessary changes in gene expression. Of importance is the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), which has been shown to be involved in cell growth, proliferation, and survival. This pathway is also under intensive investigation in connection with cancer and recent evidence from this lab has suggested its role in mediating lipogenesis. Lipogenesis and formation of lipid droplets accompanies a variety of disease states, including the formation of cancer. The ability to limit tumour growth and reduce invasion through a better understanding of tumour associated lipid formation may offer targets for the development of new therapies. Using yeast as an in vitro screening tool to identify novel compounds which have potential therapeutic applications. Yeast can be used to evaluate the efficacy of potential compounds for therapeutic use and decipher the functional components of the pathways that regulate the cellular response to these compounds and identify future targets.
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- Drug Design and Development
- Smart Materials
- Use of aptamers in both the diagnosis and management of mastitis and the detection of antibiotics residues following treatment
- Identification and validation of novel aptamers against fungal cells for the targeting of antifungal agents
- Investigating the regulation of tumour associated lipogenesis using the model organism, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- Photoactive self-disinfection bandages towards next generation infection control
Telephone:+44 (0)1772 895809
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