Project Title: Immunoproteasomes in tauopathies
Supervisors: Dr Yu Ye, Dr Johanna Jackson
Location: Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus

About Me

I am a PhD student in the Ye lab at the UK Dementia Research Institute, investigating the role of specific proteasomal degradation systems in the pathogenesis of tauopathies, like Alzheimer’s disease. In 2022, I graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry from Imperial, where I became interested in the molecular basis of neurodegenerative disease. As part of my degree, I spent a Year Abroad in the Jockers lab at the Institut Cochin (Paris), where I was able to investigate the importance of tau to metabolic receptor dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease, alongside a parallel COVID19-focused project. In 2021, I undertook a summer UROP placement in the Ye lab, and was subsequently awarded a President’s scholarship to undertake my PhD here.

Qualifications

• 2018 – 2022 BSc Biochemistry with French for Science, Imperial College London

Research Interests

Aggregate accumulation and pro-inflammatory signalling are key features of neurodegenerative disease. Both can be regulated by proteasome complexes, which are responsible for degrading unnecessary or misfolded proteins to maintain protein homeostasis. I am particularly interested in an immune-activated variant of the proteasome, called the immunoproteasome. My project will investigate how immunoproteasomes contribute to aggregate accumulation and pro-inflammatory signalling in tauopathies, like Alzheimer’s disease. I will examine patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells in combination with post-mortem brain tissue using super resolution imaging and biochemical techniques to understand how the role of the immunoproteasome differs from the standard proteasome.

Professional memberships

• Biochemical Society

Contact Details

Email: matilda.burridge18@imperial.ac.uk

LinkedIn: matilda-burridge-a518b41b4