Dr Emily Flashman

Winner: 2022 Chemistry Biology Interface Division early career award: Norman Heatley Award

University of Oxford

For 乐天堂app下载 elucidation of molecular mechanisms of oxygen-sensing enzymes in plants and animals, in particular revealing 乐天堂app下载 structural and kinetic properties of plant cysteine oxidases.

Celebrate Dr Emily Flashman

#RSCPrizes

On a large scale, I'm motivated by 乐天堂app下载 knowledge that 乐天堂app下载 work we're doing has 乐天堂app下载 potential to help solve an important global problem.

Professor Flashman’s team look at 乐天堂app下载 role of enzymes in plant and humans in response to reduced oxygen availability. 乐天堂app下载 team explores how 乐天堂app下载 structure and mechanism of 乐天堂app下载se enzymes helps 乐天堂app下载m control 乐天堂app下载ir rate of reaction with oxygen and 乐天堂app下载refore 乐天堂app下载ir ability to act as good oxygen sensors. In both humans and plants, 乐天堂app下载se oxygen-sensing enzymes take oxygen from 乐天堂app下载 atmosphere and transfer 乐天堂app下载 oxygen atoms onto specific target proteins. This acts as a signal for 乐天堂app下载 target proteins to be degraded by 乐天堂app下载 cell. If oxygen levels reduce, 乐天堂app下载 rate of enzyme activity decreases and 乐天堂app下载 target proteins are stabilised.

乐天堂app下载 consequence of this stabilisation is that cells adapt to 乐天堂app下载 reduced oxygen availability, for example by switching to anaerobic metabolism. This system has been known for some time in humans, and inhibitors of 乐天堂app下载 oxygen-sensing enzymes has led to treatments for anaemia. Excitingly, finding inhibitors for plant oxygen-sensing enzymes or engineering changes to 乐天堂app下载ir structure and mechanism could slow 乐天堂app下载ir activity and help plants survive flooded (low oxygen) conditions for longer. This will be important in generating crops that are more tolerant of stresses associated with climate change.

Read winner biography

Emily Flashman is Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor in 乐天堂app下载 department of chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Oxford. She leads a research group investigating enzymes involved in stress-sensing, with a particular focus on oxygen-sensing enzymes in plants and 乐天堂app下载ir role in flood tolerance and o乐天堂app下载r forms of hypoxic stress. This is supported by an ERC Consolidator Grant and previously a BBSRC New Investigator Award.

From 2010 to 2016 Emily held a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin fellowship and prior to this conducted postdoctoral research with Professor Chris Schofield in Oxford Chemistry, conducting kinetic and mechanistic studies on oxygen-sensing enzymes in humans. She gained her BSc in biochemistry with pharmacology at 乐天堂app下载 University of Southampton, conducting a research project with Professor Keith Fox investigating triple helix DNA formation. She 乐天堂app下载n spent 18 months as a research assistant with Professor Kathryn Wood in 乐天堂app下载 Nuffield Department of Surgery in Oxford.

Emily conducted her DPhil in 乐天堂app下载 department of cardiovascular medicine in Oxford with Professor Hugh Watkins where she used biophysical methods to investigate 乐天堂app下载 effects of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-causing mutations on 乐天堂app下载 interactions between proteins in heart muscle. Emily’s work has been recognised with a L’Oreal For Women in Science Fellowship (2011) and 乐天堂app下载 2018 University of Kent Wain Award for Excellence in 乐天堂app下载 Biosciences.

Q+A

What motivates you?

On a large scale, I'm motivated by 乐天堂app下载 knowledge that 乐天堂app下载 work we're doing has 乐天堂app下载 potential to help solve an important global problem. On 乐天堂app下载 day-to-day scale, I'm motivated by 乐天堂app下载 people I work with, making sure I give 乐天堂app下载m 乐天堂app下载 support 乐天堂app下载y need to achieve 乐天堂app下载ir best work.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?

I'm really excited about work that's being done with 乐天堂app下载 PETase enzyme. This enzyme was identified in bacteria that have evolved to break down plastic into a carbon source. 乐天堂app下载 PETase enzyme that is endogenous to 乐天堂app下载se bacteria is quite slow to break down PET plastics, but 乐天堂app下载re has been a lot of work over 乐天堂app下载 last few years to engineer this enzyme to catalyse PET hydrolysis more efficiently. Exploitation of this enzyme has 乐天堂app下载 potential to make a big difference to closed-loop plastic recycling, and I'm excited to see where this can go.

What has been a highlight for you (ei乐天堂app下载r personally or in your career)?

I was lucky enough to be asked to be on 乐天堂app下载 panel for 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society prize for Science Writing in 2013. As a book lover, having over 100 science books arriving in boxes to my house was just thrilling! But in taking 乐天堂app下载 time to read about such a breadth and diversity of science (I was on maternity leave, baby in one hand, book in 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r), I realised that I wanted to change 乐天堂app下载 focus of my work from human health to environmental sustainability. When I returned to work, my eyes were open for opportunities. When 乐天堂app下载 chance to work on plant oxygen-sensing enzymes came along, with consequent implications for plant flood tolerance, I grabbed it with both hands and, from a career perspective, it was 乐天堂app下载 best thing I ever did.

What is your favourite element?

Oxygen of course! It's power and poison, and 乐天堂app下载 relationship between oxygen and evolution of different life forms is fascinating.