Ian Jackson Research Group

Research in a Nutshell 

I study  mice with genetic mutations in order to understand how genes control normal human development and disease. Mice have almost the same set of genes as humans, and malfunction or mutation of these genes usually has very similar consequences.

I also study how genetic mutations lead to eye disease, in a number of ways. Firstly we examine mice in which random mutations have been created, in order to identify mutation that result in eye disease, particularly diseases that progress with ageing. Secondly, we look at mice in which particular genes have been knocked out as part of a project that is systematically mutating every gene one by one, with especial interest in novel genes. Finally in collaboration with human geneticists we make mouse models of eye diseases whose causative gene has been discovered.

I also study how genes control melanocytes, which are the cells in the body producing pigment in skin and hair. These cells have a very interesting embryonic history, and genes affect how these cells develop, proliferate and become located at the correct places in the skin and hair follicle. Normal hair colour variation in humans presents a particularly interesting genetic system which we are studying using a combination of genetic, genomic and functional analyses.