Maja Wojtynska
Academic and Work Experience Prior to Sept 2021 Programme Start
I obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry at Imperial College London. During this time I worked in the lab of Professor Andrea Crisanti, developing genetic engineering techniques for population control of A. gambiae mosquitoes.
I further completed an MSc in Neuroscience at Imperial, where I worked with Professor Nicholas Mazarakis on the development of a gene therapy for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. My project involved differentiation of astrocytes from patient-derived iPSCs.
PhD Programme- Year 1- MRes and Project Rotations
I spent my rotation year exploring the applications of stem cells to disease modelling and regenerative medicine, while prioritising learning new techniques.
During my first rotation with Professor Eugene Makeyev, I derived motor neurons from ALS patient-derived iPSCs and characterised expression levels of an RNA molecule of interest.
For my second rotation I strengthened my bioinformatic skillset and worked with Dr. Alessandra Vigilante to analyse liquid biopsy samples from pancreatic cancer patients.
Finally, for my third rotation I worked in the lab of Professor Rachael Pearson and Professor Robin Ali to derive and characterise retinal organoids from a reporter cell line.
PhD Programme- Years 2 to 4 - Doctoral Studies
For my PhD programme I have chosen to work with Professor Rachael Pearson and Dr. Alessandra Vigilante on a project combining wet and dry lab techniques. The Pearson/Ali lab focuses on the development of cell and gene therapies for the treatment of retinal degeneration. Retinal organoids have become key to achieve these goals, as they represent a high quality source of photoreceptors for transplantation as well an accurate in vitro disease model. However, the area of the retina responsible for high acuity vision and most commonly affected by degeneration - the macula - has not yet been accurately modelled in organoids.
My project has two main goals - to characterise the molecular mechanisms underpinning macular development at the single-cell level and to further translate this understanding to develop macula-like organoids. For the former, I will employ a spatial transcriptomics workflow on human fetal retina samples and for the latter I will test organoid dosing protocols, informed by my previous findings.
The implications of this research could have a significant impact on both the modelling of retinal disease and the development of therapies for retinal dystrophies.
