Skip to main content
M Stack

Dr M Stack

Research Technician (molecular biology)

School of Dentistry

Email
StackM@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 29207 45828

Overview

I joined the Dental School in 2009 and specialise in all areas of Molecular Biology including DNA/RNA extractions, reverse transcription, PCR and qPCR, and various cloning techniques.

I set up and established the TRF (Telomere Restriction Fragment Length) assay which has been used by various groups in the department.

I'm available for project work, completion of data for publications, pilot studies, etc as well as being responsible for training staff, PhD students and MSc students in molecular biology. I also manage the Promega freezer and negotiating competitive deals for qPCR reagents.

Hours of Work:

  • Monday - Thursday 9.30am-2.30pm

Publication

2016

Articles

Research

Young, Fraser I., Telezhkin, Vsevolod, Youde, Sarah J., Langley, Martin S., Stack, Maria, Kemp, Paul J., Waddington, Rachel J., Sloan, Alastair J. and Song, Bing 2016. Clonal heterogeneity in the neuronal and glial differentiation of dental pulp stem/progenitor cells. Stem Cells International , 1290561. 10.1155/2016/1290561

Biography

I obtained my degree in Genetics/Zoology at Swansea University, followed by a research assistant post in the Central Toxicolgy Lab at AstraZeneca which involved the development and validation of the human in vitro micronucleus assay involving in vitro cytogenetics and handling/dosing blood cultures.

This was followed by a Research Assistant post with FRAME (Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments) in the Queen's Medical School, Nottingham which similarly involved the development and validation of in vitro assays as alternatives to in vivo animal toxicity tests.

I completed a PhD at the Paterson Institute of Cancer Research (PCIR) at Manchester University entitled "Searching for the Tumour suppressor gene on chromosome band 17p13.3 which is involved in sporadic breast cancer and other malignancies."

This involved a range of advanced molecular and genetic techniques including physical microdissection and microcloning of chromosomes, PCR, Southern analysis, cloning, PFGE, DNA extractions, hybrid cell work, chromosome walking using yeast artificial chromosomes (YACS) and cosmid in contig construction, a wide range of genome mapping techniques including YAC/cosmid end isolation using vecortette PCR. Fluorescence in situ hybdridisation (FISH) using single and double probes, isolation and characterisation of polymorphic dinucleotide repeats and their use to look at loss of heterozygosity in breast cancer patients.

I have also completed 3 postdoctoral positions:

  • at PICR in Manchester which continued my PhD work and resulted in several publications
  • at the University of Newcastle on isolating androgen regulated genes from primary prostate cancer epithelia
  • at the Tenovus Institute, Cancer Genetics Department, Cardiff University investigating the Epstein Barr virus gene LMP1. This involved the construction of several deletion mutants of the Epstein Barr Virus gene LMP1 and analysis using functional assays with human lymphoid cell lines using a range of molecular techniques.