Dr Emma Siragher

My current research focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms that underlie cell differentiation and specification into extraembryonic tissues, including cells that will form the placenta. In the Hanna lab we use mouse knock-out models of epigenetic regulatory genes to explore their role in the development of the placenta, and how this can influence fetal growth and development. Exploring early placental cell specification can help our understanding how placental development works and how it can go wrong.

This research builds on my previous work exploring mouse placental development, both during my Loke CTR funded PhD studentship where I explored the effect of exposure to hypoxia and food restriction on the mouse placenta, and prior to this when I worked on the Deciphering Mechanisms of Developmental Disorders (DMDD) project at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.