Lynn is a Research Assistant with A/Prof Shireen Lamande working to understand the complex interactions and signalling pathways in bone and cartilage development and disease.

Lynn has spent her career working with extracellular matrix, to understand its function and structure, and its role in gene expression in both the mammary gland and the skeleton.

Working with some of the first ever microarrays, Lynn used RNA from mammary secretory epithelial cells, isolated from wallabies and dairy cattle to look for cross-talk mechanisms between integrin binding and the prolactin receptor-initiated JAK-STAT pathway which play critical roles in milk production and how the milk protein content of dairy milk could be improved.

Here at MCRI we have done extensive gene expression analyses of cartilage, bone and synovium mRNA and miRNAs using cutting edge methods to microdissect minute osteoarthritic cartilage lesions for the most precise gene expression and pathway analyses.

Our modelling of human skeletal disorders using induced pluripotent stem cells is giving us further understanding of the molecular basis of skeletal disorders, and offers the potential to identify therapeutic targets and test new treatments that could change the lives of children with debilitating disease.