Sylvia Franklin
BSc MRes
DPhil Student and Mabel Churn Scholar
Sylvia is undertaking a DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences under the supervision of Professor Robert MacLaren, and is the recipient of the Mabel Churn Scholarship from St Cross College.
Sylvia graduated from Imperial College London in 2022 with a 1st class degree in Medical Biosciences. In 2023 she completed an MRes in Stem Cells and Developmental Biology at University College London, graduating with Distinction under the supervision of Dr Kenzo Ivanovitch. During her master’s degree, her work focused on the role of mesodermal factor Brachyury T in the specification of heart chamber cells during embryonic development.
Sylvia’s current research focuses on developing and characterising retinal organoids produced using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Retinal organoids provide a highly versatile model of the retina, allowing for research into the efficacy of novel gene therapies prior to pre-clinical testing.
