Anastasia Fries

I am a respiratory registrar currently undertaking a DPhil studying the functional impact of novel genetic variants in asthma. I was awarded an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship to carry out integrated genomic analyses and functional studies of rare genetic variants in severe asthma under the supervision of Prof Timothy Hinks, Prof Julian Knight and Dr Sally Cowley. 

My project uses an iPSC-derived lung epithelial model established during my Academic Clinical Fellowship (NIHR) to interrogate the functional consequences of identified genetic susceptibility variants in specific asthma endotypes. I have identified variants of interest through pedigree analyses and plan to analyse a larger cohort of severe asthma patients within the Oxford Airways Study. I use a variety of techniques, including whole genome sequencing, cell culture and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to generate novel insights into the molecular mechanisms and pathways driving different asthma endotypes. 

Prior to my ACF, I studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge, before undertaking graduate-entry medicine at Oxford. I began clinical training in North West London and held an Honorary Clinical Research Fellow position at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London.

I continue to contribute to clinical work and deliver medical student teaching as a Retained Lecturer at Pembroke College.