Elizabeth Robertson Explained

Liz Robertson
Birth Name:Elizabeth Jane Robertson
Workplaces:Columbia University
Harvard University
University of Oxford
Alma Mater:University of Oxford (BA, MA)
University of Cambridge (PhD)
Doctoral Advisor:Martin Evans
Awards:Royal Medal (2016)
EMBO Member (2002)
Suffrage Science award (2011)

Elizabeth Jane Robertson is a British developmental biologist based at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford.[1] She is Professor of Developmental Biology[2] at Oxford and a Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow.[3] She is best known for her pioneering work in developmental genetics, showing that genetic mutations could be introduced into the mouse germ line by using genetically altered embryonic stem cells.[4] [5] This discovery opened up a major field of experimentation for biologists and clinicians.[6] [7] [8]

Education

Robertson earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oxford.[9] She received a PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1982 under the supervision of Martin Evans.[10]

Career and research

After her PhD, she stayed on at the University of Cambridge for her postdoctoral fellowship and continued to work there as a research assistant following the completion of her fellowship. She was a professor first at Columbia University and then Harvard University before moving to the University of Oxford. In her lab at Columbia she was the first to show that embryonic stem cells carrying genetic mutations could contribute to all parts of the adult mouse body, including the cells that eventually make up the gametes, i.e. sperm and egg cells, allowing these mutations to be transmitted to the next generation. She used this approach to test the role of specific growth factors in embryonic development,[11] and to screen for previously unknown genes that prevent normal development.[12] [13] Robertson's work was among the first to show that the disruption of many genes has surprisingly little effect on development and organismal phenotype,[14] [15] [16] contributing to a long-running challenge in the understanding of the robustness of biological systems. She has also made significant contributions to the question of how the early embryo determines the anterior-posterior polarity that patterns the embryo from head to tail[17] [18] and the mechanisms that pattern the embryo from left to right.[19]

Robertson currently serves as an editor of the journal Development.[20] She serves on the editorial boards of Developmental Biology,[21] Current Opinion in Genetics & Development,[22] and Developmental Cell.[23]

Honours and awards

Robertson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to medical sciences.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.path.ox.ac.uk/research/molecular-biology/elizabeth-robertson-group Elizabeth Robertson group
  2. http://www.stemcells.ox.ac.uk/directory/liz-robertson Liz Robertson
  3. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Biomedical-science/Funded-projects/Awards-made/Wellcome-Fellows/WTD003260.htm#_R Principal Research Fellows
  4. Web site: Elizabeth Robertson Royal Society. royalsociety.org. en-gb. 2019-02-28.
  5. Schwartzberg. P. L.. Goff. S. P.. Robertson. E. J.. 1989-11-10. Germ-line transmission of a c-abl mutation produced by targeted gene disruption in ES cells. Science. 246. 4931. 799–803. 0036-8075. 2554496. 10.1126/science.2554496. 1989Sci...246..799S.
  6. Mak. T. W.. Penninger. J. M.. Ohashi. P. S.. 2001. Knockout mice: a paradigm shift in modern immunology. Nature Reviews. Immunology. 1. 1. 11–19. 10.1038/35095551. 1474-1733. 11905810.
  7. Butler. A. A.. Cone. R. D.. 2001. Knockout models resulting in the development of obesity. Trends in Genetics. 17. 10. S50–54. 0168-9525. 11585677. 10.1016/S0168-9525(01)02481-7.
  8. Smith. Austin G.. 30030832. 2001. Embryo-Derived Stem Cells: Of Mice and Men. Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology. 17. 1. 435–462. 10.1146/annurev.cellbio.17.1.435. 11687496.
  9. http://f1000.com/prime/thefaculty/member/1114311773254853 Elizabeth Robertson: International Advisory Board in Developmental Biology
  10. Web site: Elizabeth Robertson. Greengard Prize. en. 2019-02-28.
  11. DeChiara. T. M.. Efstratiadis. A.. Robertson. E. J.. 1990-05-03. A growth-deficiency phenotype in heterozygous mice carrying an insulin-like growth factor II gene disrupted by targeting. Nature. 345. 6270. 78–80. 10.1038/345078a0. 0028-0836. 2330056. 1990Natur.345...78D. 4343800.
  12. Conlon. F. L.. Barth. K. S.. Robertson. E. J.. 1991. A novel retrovirally induced embryonic lethal mutation in the mouse: assessment of the developmental fate of embryonic stem cells homozygous for the 413.d proviral integration. Development. 111. 4. 969–981. 10.1242/dev.111.4.969. 0950-1991. 1879365.
  13. Book: Robertson. E. J.. Conlon. F. L.. Barth. K. S.. Costantini. F.. Lee. J. J.. Ciba Foundation Symposium 165 - Postimplantation Development in the Mouse . Use of Embryonic Stem Cells to Study Mutations Affecting Postimplantation Development in the Mouse . 1992. Ciba Foundation Symposium. 165. 237–250; discussion 250–255. 0300-5208. 1516471. 10.1002/9780470514221.ch14. Novartis Foundation Symposia. 9780470514221.
  14. Dudley. A. T.. Lyons. K. M.. Robertson. E. J.. 1995-11-15. A requirement for bone morphogenetic protein-7 during development of the mammalian kidney and eye. Genes & Development. 9. 22. 2795–2807. 0890-9369. 7590254. 10.1101/gad.9.22.2795. free.
  15. Dudley. A. T.. Robertson. E. J.. 1997. Overlapping expression domains of bone morphogenetic protein family members potentially account for limited tissue defects in BMP7 deficient embryos. Developmental Dynamics. 208. 3. 349–362. 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0177(199703)208:3<349::AID-AJA6>3.0.CO;2-I. 1058-8388. 9056639. 32956921 .
  16. Solloway. M. J.. Robertson. E. J.. 1999. Early embryonic lethality in Bmp5;Bmp7 double mutant mice suggests functional redundancy within the 60A subgroup. Development. 126. 8. 1753–1768. 10.1242/dev.126.8.1753. 0950-1991. 10079236.
  17. Brennan. J.. Lu. C. C.. Norris. D. P.. Rodriguez. T. A.. Beddington. R. S.. Robertson. E. J.. 2001-06-21. Nodal signalling in the epiblast patterns the early mouse embryo. Nature. 411. 6840. 965–969. 10.1038/35082103. 0028-0836. 11418863. 2001Natur.411..965B. 4402639.
  18. Lu. Cindy C.. Robertson. Elizabeth J.. 2004-09-01. Multiple roles for Nodal in the epiblast of the mouse embryo in the establishment of anterior-posterior patterning. Developmental Biology. 273. 1. 149–159. 10.1016/j.ydbio.2004.06.004. 0012-1606. 15302604. free.
  19. Brennan. Jane. Norris. Dominic P.. Robertson. Elizabeth J.. 2002-09-15. Nodal activity in the node governs left-right asymmetry. Genes & Development. 16. 18. 2339–2344. 10.1101/gad.1016202. 0890-9369. 187443. 12231623.
  20. Web site: Editors and Board. dev.biologists.org. en. 2 March 2017.
  21. Book: Developmental Biology Editorial Board. Journals.elsevier.com. 10 April 2018.
  22. Book: Current Opinion in Genetics & Development Editorial Board. Journals.elsevier.com. 10 April 2018.
  23. Web site: Developmental Cell Editorial Board. 2 March 2017.
  24. https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/awards/royal-medal 2016 Royal Medallists
  25. http://royalsociety.org/about-us/fellowship/fellows Fellows of the Royal Society
  26. Web site: EMBO Membership Pocket Guide. Embo.org. 10 April 2018.
  27. http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Biomedical-science/Funded-projects/Awards-made/Wellcome-Fellows/WTD003260.htm Principal Research Fellows
  28. http://bsdb.org/about-us British Society for Developmental Biology
  29. Web site: Elizabeth Robertson Awarded Edwin G. Conklin Medal. Blank. Ann. 2008. Society for Developmental Biology. SDB. 4 March 2014.
  30. Web site: Academy of Europe: Robertson Elizabeth. Hoffmann. Ilire Hasani, Robert. ae-info.org. 2 March 2017.

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