Cassandra Farthing
• A biomedical researcher with an excellent academic background, experienced at working effectively both in teams and independently. • Proven expertise in problem solving, analysis and an eye for detail. • Seeking experience in business development
| Headline: | Scientist |
| Work status: | Employed Full-Time |
| Industries: | Biotech, Health |
| Skills: | Business, Entrepreneurship, Event planning, Management, Public speaking |
| Next step: | Hoping to apply current skills to a challenging career in bringing biomedical research from the bench to the bedside. |
| Location: | Cambridgeshire |
| Groups: | CUE |
| Interested in: | Career advice, Employment opportunities, Finding team mates, Joining a startup, Learning about entrepreneurship, Meeting new people, Professional opportunities, Recruiting for my startup |
| Schools: | University of Cambridge, University of Oxford |
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | London Technology Network (LTN) and Babraham Institute |
| Position: | Business Fellow |
| Time period: | January 2008 - Present |
| Description: | • Bridging the gap between academia and industry this role involves mapping and promoting the commercially relevant projects within the Institute at events such as ERBI’s BioPartnering Exchange.
• Together with the Institute's technology transfer office and commercial arm (BBT) this position provides LTN and industry with insight and potential access to the institute's technologies and capabilities. |
| Employer: | Laboratory of Developmental Genetics and Imprinting, Babraham Bioscience Technologies (BBT) Ltd |
| Position: | Postdoctoral Researcher |
| Time period: | January 2006 - Present |
| Description: | • DTI funded position through the TSB’s Technology Programme in collaboration with CellCentric Ltd.
• Research into the resetting or “reprogramming” of epigenetic marks that is deficient during cloning. • Improved understanding of the processes by which the DNA in adult nuclei can be reprogrammed will be essential to providing patient specific cells or organs for the treatment of human disease. • Moreover, as some cancers have been shown to also have aberrant epigenetic patterns, the potential to control this reversible state creates an attractive therapeutic strategy involving targeting specific genes. • Additionally an Associate Faculty Member of the Faculty of 1000 Biology, an online research service. |
| Employer: | WTCHG, University of Oxford |
| Position: | Research Assistant |
| Time period: | September 2001 - October 2003 |
| Description: | • Constructed a tissue-specific targeting vector based on a Cre-Lox strategy.
• Aided development and verification of novel high-throughput magnetic resonance imaging. |
| Employer: | Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge |
| Position: | Research Assistant |
| Time period: | June 2000 - August 2000 |
| Description: | • Researched covalent histone modifications using site-directed mutagenesis. |
| Employer: | Cambridge Institute for Medical Research |
| Position: | Research Student |
| Time period: | January 2000 - April 2000 |
| Description: | • Studied proteins involved in vesicular transport including use of fluorescence microscopy. |
| Employer: | Greene King Brewery, Bury St Edmunds |
| Position: | Laboratory Assistant |
| Time period: | June 1997 - August 1997 |
| Description: | • Performed scientific analysis within multi-disciplinary teams in an industrial environment. |
EDUCATION
| University: | University of Cambridge |
| Time period: | 2007 |
| Degree: | Certificate in Entrepreneurship |
| University: | University of Oxford |
| Time period: | 2003 - 2006 |
| Degree: | Clinical Medicine, PhD |
| University: | University of Cambridge |
| Time period: | 1998 - 2001 |
| Degree: | Natural Sciences , MA |
PUBLICATIONS
| Papers: | Farthing CR*, Ficz G, Ng RK, Chan CF, Andrews S, Dean W, Hemberger M, Reik W. (2008) Global mapping of DNA methylation in mouse promoters reveals epigenetic reprogramming of pluripotency genes. PLoS Genet. 4(6):e1000116.
Lu W, Seeholzer SH, Han M, Arnold AS, Serrano M, Garita B, Philp NJ, Farthing C, Steele P, Chen J, Linask KK. (2008) Cellular nonmuscle myosins NMHC-IIA and NMHC-IIB and vertebrate heart looping. Dev Dyn. PMID: 18697221. Macdonald ST, Bamforth SD, Chen CM, Farthing CR, Franklyn A, Broadbent C, Schneider JE, Saga Y, Lewandoski M, Bhattacharya S. (2008) Epiblastic Cited2 deficiency results in cardiac phenotypic heterogeneity and provides a mechanism for haploinsufficiency. Cardiovasc Res. 10.1093/cvr/cvn101 MacDonald, ST; Bamforth, SD; Braganca, J; Chen, C-M; Farthing, CR; Franklyn, A; Broadbent, C; Schneider, J; Schwartz, R; Bhattacharya, S. (2007) Cardiac-Specific Deletion of Cited2 Reveals a Cell Autonomous Role in Positively Regulating Vegfa Expression in the Developing Heart. Circulation.116:II_185 Bhattacharya S, Macdonald ST, Farthing CR. (2006) Molecular mechanisms controlling the coupled development of myocardium and coronary vasculature. Clin Sci (Lond). 111(1):35-46. Review. Bamforth SD, Bragança J, Farthing CR*, Schneider JE, Broadbent C, Michell AC, Clarke K, Neubauer S, Norris D, Brown NA, Anderson RH, Bhattacharya S. (2004) Cited2 controls left-right patterning and heart development through a Nodal-Pitx2c pathway. Nat Genet. 36(11):1189-96. Schneider JE, Bamforth SD, Farthing CR, Clarke K, Neubauer S, Bhattacharya S. (2003) High-resolution imaging of normal anatomy, and neural and adrenal malformations in mouse embryos using magnetic resonance microscopy. J Anat. 202(2):239-47. Schneider JE, Bamforth SD, Farthing CR, Clarke K, Neubauer S, Bhattacharya S. (2003) Rapid identification and 3D reconstruction of complex cardiac malformations in transgenic mouse embryos using fast gradient echo sequence magnetic resonance imaging. J Mol Cell Cardiol. 35(2):217-22. |
| Books: | The Epigenomic Landscape of Reprogramming in Mammals (in production)
Gabriella Ficz , Cassandra R Farthing & Wolf Reik, |
INFORMATION
| Hobbies: | • Rowing – Oxford University Lightweight Women’s Boat Club summer squad. College 1st VIII (awarded Eights blades 2005), committee member and coaching of novice and senior crews. Races include Women’s Head of the River Race, The Fours Head Race and several regattas and other head races.
• Sailing – Oxford University Yacht Club, cross channel, coastal and inland sailing, RYA qualifications. • Other interests include travel and trekking – USA, Europe, Morocco, Mexico, Thailand, China and Japan. |
