Principal Investigator in Stem cells and genome stability:

• PhD (1997) Medical School, Universidad Autónoma of Madrid
• BSc Biology (1994) School of Biology, Universidad Autónoma of Madrid

Paloma Garcia studied Biology at the Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, Spain and joined the lab of Professor Carmela Cales at the School of Medicine (Universidad Autonoma, Madrid) for a PhD project studying the molecular mechanisms leading to the establishment of endoreplicative cycles in megakaryocytes (1994-1997). During this period Paloma was awrded an EMBO short term fellowship to perform some of these studies at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM), Oxford, under the supervision of Professor Jon Frampton. 

Following her PhD work, Paloma was awarded a Marie Curie fellowship to join Professor Frampton lab in WIMM, Oxford, where she established a conditional gene deletion approach to investigate MybL2 function and started working on stem/progenitor cell properties and the development of blood disorders. 

In 2002 she moved to University of Birmingham as a senior postdoctoral researcher funded through the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research (LLR). She was able to demonstrate that correct levels of MybL2 are necessary to maintain genome stability in human haemopoietic cells, and that low levels result in DNA fragmentation and chromosome rearrangements. 

García’s independent research group was established in 2009, once she was awarded a Researcher Fellow position at the University of Birmingham through the Science City Research Alliance scheme (SCRA). Using her mouse model, she demonstrated the importance of MybL2 in the development of blood disorders during ageing. She also led the investigation that revealed a role for MybL2 in the elongation rate of replication forks in ESC.

She now holds a Senior Researcher position at the University of Birmingham

Undergraduate

• Stem cell Module Biomedical Materials Science BMedSc
  
• From Genes to therapy Module Biomedical Materials Science BMedSc(BMedSci)
• Experimental immunology Module Biomedical Materials Science BMedSc 
• Research taster Medicine and Surgery MBChB

Masters

• MSc Mol Mech Immunol

Dr Paloma Garcia is interested in supervising doctoral research students in the following areas:

* molecular mechanisms controlling genome stability in embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells

* molecular mechanisms of somatic reprogramming to induced pluripotent stem cells

* molecular mechanisms underlying blood disorders during ageing.

Self-funded PhD students are welcome to apply.

• Mechanisms regulating proliferation and genomic stability in embryonic stem cells and somatic cells, with a special focus into the role of the transcription factor MybL2 (B-Myb) at the interplay between DNA replication and DNA repair.

• Investigation of the molecular basis behind the deletion of chromosome 20q (del20q), and in particular the role of MybL2 haploinsuficiency in the development of haematological diseases.

• Gene expression mechanisms regulating haemopoietic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation; in particular, studies on the transcription factor c-Myb are a major, on-going research project because of its central role in coordinating signaling and gene expression events.

Birmingham University Stem Cell Centre (BUSCC)

Collaborators

• Keisuke Kaji

• Yossi Buganim

• George Murphy

• Manoj Raghavan

• Lorena Arranz

• Jon Frampton 

• Eva Barragan/Miguel Angel Sanz: Hospital La Fe, Valencia

Paloma is a Member of the Mercia Stem Cell Alliance (MSCA) and Birmingham University Stem Cell Centre (BUSCC).

She acts as a reviewer for grant funding bodies and journals.

Volpe, G., Clarke,M.L., García, P., Walton, D. S.,et al. (2015) Regulation of the Flt3 Gene in Haematopoietic Stem and Early Progenitor Cells. PLOS One. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138257

Dolz, S., García, P., Llop, M., Fuster, O.,et al. (2015) Study of the S427G polymorphism and of MYBL2variants in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Leukaemia & Lymphoma. DOI:10.3109/10428194.2015.1049167 

Sakamoto, H., Takeda, N., Arai, F., Hosokawa, K., García, P., Suda, T., Frampton, J., and Ogawa, M. (2015). Determining c-Myb Protein Levels Can Isolate Functional Hematopoietic Stem Cell Subtypes Stem Cells, 33 (2): 479-490. 

Fuster, O., Llop, M., Dolz, S., García, P., Such, E.,et al. (2013)  Adverse prognostic value of MYBL2 overexpression and association with microRNA-30 family in acute myeloid leukemia patients. Leukaemia Research, 37 (12): 1690-6. 

Volpe, G., Walton, D. S., Del Pozzo, W., García, P., Dasse, E., O'Neill, L., Griffiths, M., Frampton, J., and Dumon, S. (2013) C/EBP and MYB regulate FLT3 expression in AML. Leukaemia, 27:1487-96.

Haining, E.J., Yang, J., Bailey,R. L., Khan, K., Collier, R., Tsai, S., Watson,S.P., Frampton, J., García, P., Tomlinson M. (2012) The TspanC8 Subgroup of Tetraspanins Interacts with A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) and Regulates Its Maturation and Cell Surface Expression. J Biol Chem, 287(47): 39753-65. 

Clarke, M.L., Dumon, S., Ward, C., Jager, R., Freeman, S., Dawood, B., Sheriff, L., Lorvellec, M., Kralovics, R., Frampton, J and García, P*. (2013) MybL2 haploinsufficiency increases susceptibility to age-related haemopoietic neoplasia. Leukaemia, 27: 661–670. 

Jones, R.M., Mortusewicz,O., Afzal, I., Lorvellec, M., García, P., Helleday, T and Petermann, E.(2013) Oncogene-induced replication stress by increased replication initiation resulting in conflicts with transcription. Oncogene, 32: 3744-53.

García, P*., Berlanga, O., Vegiopoulos, A., Vyas, P and Frampton, J. (2011). c-Myb and GATA-1 alternate dominant roles during megakaryocyte differentiation. J Thromb Haemost, 9(8):1572-1581.

Lorvellec, M., Dumon, S., Maya-Mendoza, A., Jackson, D., Frampton, J., and García, P*. (2010). B-Myb is Critical for Proper DNA Duplication during an Unperturbed S phase in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Stem Cells, 28: 1751-1759.

García, P*. Clarke, M.L., Vegiopoulos, A., Berlanga, O., Camelo, A., Lorvellec, M. and Frampton, J. (2009) Reduced c-Myb activity compromises HSCs and leads to a myeloproliferation with a novel stem cell basis. EMBO J, 28: 1492-1504.

García P., and Frampton, J. (2008) Hematopoietic lineage commitment: miRNAs add specificity to a widely expressed transcription factor. Dev Cell. 14: 815-6.

García, P., and Frampton J. (2006). The transcription factor B-Myb is a key regulator of DNA replication in both diploid and polyploidy megakaryocytes. J Cell Sci, 119: 1483-93.

Vegiopoulos, A., García, P., Emambokus, N. and Frampton, J. (2006) Coordination of erythropoiesis by the transcription factor c-Myb. Blood, 107: 4703-10.

García, P., Berlanga, O., Watson, R., and Frampton J. (2005) Generation of a conditional allele of the B-Myb gene. Genesis, 43: 189-95.