Derek Blake
Encyclopedia
Dr Derek Blake was, until 2007, the Isobel Laing Post-Doctoral Fellow
in Biomedical Sciences, and the Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science, Oriel College, Oxford.
He holds a doctorate (D.Phil.
) and a Bachelor's (B.Sc. from Liverpool). Dr Blake graduated in Biochemistry and worked on his D.Phil. studies in the Sir William Dunn
School of Pathology
, Oxford, taking post-doctoral research on the molecular basis of muscular dystrophy
.
His research interests lie in the molecular basis of neuronal dysfunction in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
and congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD). This led to the discovery of components of the dystrophin protein complex in neurons and identified new genes
and pathways that are involved in the pathogenesis
of CMD. He was awarded a Wellcome Trust
Career Development Fellowship in 1996 and a Wellcome Trust
Senior Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science in 2000. Dr Blake is a Member of the American Society for Cell Biology and an editor of the Journal of Nanobiotechnology. Blake's research interests include molecular aspects of neuronal function in muscular dystrophies, glycosyltransferases in neurons and muscle cells, the neuromuscular junction and molecular architecture of the sarcolemma.
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
in Biomedical Sciences, and the Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science, Oriel College, Oxford.
He holds a doctorate (D.Phil.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
) and a Bachelor's (B.Sc. from Liverpool). Dr Blake graduated in Biochemistry and worked on his D.Phil. studies in the Sir William Dunn
Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry
The Sir William Dunn Professorship of Biochemistry is the senior professorship in biochemistry at the University of Cambridge. The position was established in 1914 by the trustees of the will of Sir William Dunn, banker, merchant and philanthropist....
School of Pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, Oxford, taking post-doctoral research on the molecular basis of muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue.In the 1860s, descriptions of boys who...
.
His research interests lie in the molecular basis of neuronal dysfunction in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy
Muscular dystrophy is a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue.In the 1860s, descriptions of boys who...
and congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD). This led to the discovery of components of the dystrophin protein complex in neurons and identified new genes
Gênes
Gênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy, named after the city of Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa, and it was divided in the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
and pathways that are involved in the pathogenesis
Pathogenesis
The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism by which the disease is caused. The term can also be used to describe the origin and development of the disease and whether it is acute, chronic or recurrent...
of CMD. He was awarded a Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
Career Development Fellowship in 1996 and a Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
Senior Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Science in 2000. Dr Blake is a Member of the American Society for Cell Biology and an editor of the Journal of Nanobiotechnology. Blake's research interests include molecular aspects of neuronal function in muscular dystrophies, glycosyltransferases in neurons and muscle cells, the neuromuscular junction and molecular architecture of the sarcolemma.
Publications
- Blake D.J., Hawkes R., Benson M.A. and Beesley P. (1999) Different dystrophin-like complexes are found in neurons and glia. J. Cell Biol. 147: 645-657.
- Blake D.J. and Kröger S. (2000) The molecular neurobiology of muscular dystrophy: Learning lessons from muscle? Trends Neurosci. 23: 92-99.
- Newey S.E., Benson, M.A., Ponting C.P., Davies K.E. and Blake D.J. (2000) Alternative splicing of dystrobrevin regulates the stoichiometry of syntrophin binding to the dystrophin protein complex. Curr. Biol. 10: 12951298.
- Benson M.A., Newey S.E., Martin-Rendon E., Hawkes R. and Blake D.J. (2001) Dysbindin, a novel coiled-coil containing protein that interacts with the dystrobrevins in muscle and brain. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 24232-24241.
- Brockington M., Blake D. J., Prandini P., Brown S. C., Torelli S., Benson M. A., Ponting C. P., Estournet B., Romero N. B., Mercuri E., Voit T., Sewry C. A., Guicheney P. and Muntoni F. (2001) Mutations in the fukutin-related protein gene (FKRP) cause a form of congenital muscular dystrophy with secondary laminin a2 deficiency and abnormal glycosylation of a-dystroglycan. Am J. Hum. Genet. 69: 1198-1209.
- Brockington M., Yuva Y., Prandini P., Brown S. C., Torelli S., Benson M. A., Herrmann R., Anderson L. V. B., Bashir R., Burgunder J-M., Fallet S., Romero, N., Guicheney P., Fardeau M., Straub V., Reynolds G., Pollitt C., Sewry C. A., Bushby K., Voit T., Blake D. J. and Muntoni F. (2001) Mutations in the Fukutin Related-Protein gene (FKRP) identifies Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2I as a milder allelic variant of congenital muscular dystrophy MDC1C. Hum. Mol. Genet. 10: 2851-2859.
- Blake D. J, Weir A., Newey S. E. and Davies K. E. (2002) Function and genetics of dystrophin and dystrophin-related proteins in muscle. Phys. Rev. 82: 291-329.