Professor Lorna Harries

About me:

Lorna Harries is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health. She gained her PhD in Genetics from University College London in November 1994 and now leads the RNA-mediated disease mechanisms group at the University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health. Her group has interests in alternative messenger RNA processing, non-coding RNA and epigenetic gene regulation in the context of ageing and chronic disease.

Lorna also holds a position as Co-Founder, director and Chief Scientific Officer for SENISCA (www.senisca.com), a senotherapeutics spin out company built on research form the Harries team. Lorna has interests in omics approaches to the study of human ageing and age-related disease processes in man, and her work ranges from ‘big data’ analyses to detailed individual molecular analysis of particular genes. Her team were the first to report dysregulation of alternative splicing as a new, and druggable, hallmark of ageing.

Finally, Lorna has a long standing interest in engaged research. In this capacity, She coordinated a Wellcome Trust funded Engaged Research study with local students to design, implement and undertake the largest intervention study for avoidance of the endocrine disrupter chemical BPA in the population demographic with the highest exposure. This work demonstrated that it is currently impossible to moderate your own exposure to this chemical using a ‘real world’ avoidance diet and furthermore, even if it had been possible to do so, effects on lifestyle would be so large as to make people very unlikely to do so long term. This work has yielded 2 publications for the student participants (PMID 29431133 and pending PMID number), precipitated a Change petition, widespread media coverage and citation in a motion to abolish single use plastics to Taunton Deane Borough council and forms the basis of an impact case for Ref 2021.

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Qualifications:

• BSc Genetics
• PhD Genetics
• FHEA