Caring Matters Now PhD Fellowship (2015-2018)

Caring Matters Now funded a PhD fellowship project costing £80,000 entitled ‘Gene Therapy For Congenital Melanocytic Naevi’. William Baird undertook his PhD research project over a 3-year period. William worked in the laboratory, growing up cells and testing different ways of trying to correct the NRAS gene mutation/mistake that leads to most cases of CMN. William undertook his research fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Veronica Kinsler and a secondary supervisor Prof Steve Hart in the gene therapy department in the Institute of Child Health. The study took place in the laboratory, not in patients, but it is a first opportunity for us to look for ways of treating the problem of CMN at its source.