For Yasmin, receiving this prestigious award is the culmination of four years of painstaking and highly skilled work. Based at Newcastle University’s Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research and under the supervision of Dr Monika Winter, Dr Angela Pyle, Prof Bobby McFarland and Prof Rob Taylor, her research has involved carefully analysing vast amounts of complex data taken from patient-derived cell and tissue samples.
She’s dedicated her time to identifying new disease-causing genes and validating candidate mutations in undiagnosed mitochondrial disease families by correlating their relationship to different clinical phenotypes (characteristics of the disease that are observable in patients). She’s also undertaken important research to understand key mitochondrial processes and how these relate to both health and disease.
Yasmin is grateful for the opportunity our grant has given her to continue her work in trying to more closely understand the mysteries of our mitochondria. “It’s been a great pleasure working as a Lily-funded researcher,” she said. “Having the opportunity to interact with families affected by mitochondrial disease during Lily events has really put my work into perspective and motivated me to continue my research into understanding mitochondrial health. Thank you all for your support!”
As well as acknowledging Yasmin’s hard work and dedication, the award also recognises the work of the wider team at Newcastle and highlights the growing importance of research in this area. Identifying new disease-causing genes is crucial for future research into mitochondrial disease, as well as for supporting families as they go through diagnostic pathways.
Yasmin’s Principal Investigator, Prof Taylor, reflected on this significant achievement: “We are all incredibly proud of Yasmin, and enormously grateful for her commitment to mitochondrial research. This award is testament to all her hard work and endeavour, and we wish her well in the next stage of her career at the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen, Germany, studying how mitochondria maintain their structure.”
We echo his sentiments and are delighted to see another Lily-funded researcher making waves in the world of mitochondrial disease. Like us, Yasmin is dedicated to expanding her understanding of mitochondrial disease to bring us closer to potential treatments to improve the lives of those affected. We look forward to following her future progress in the search for that all-important cure.