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 | Biography |  |
My interests focus on the roles of specific genes in skeletal regulation and more recently on the identification and characterisation of novel genes involved in bone disease, in particular ankylosing spondylitis and osteoporosis. Dr Gethin Thomas undertook his undergraduate and PhD studies in the dept of Biology at the University of Birmingham in the UK graduating with a PhD in Bone Cell Biology in 1993. He then undertook post-doctoral studies at the University of California in San Diego studying bone proteins biochemistry for two years. Continuing his interest in the bone field, he then spent five years in the Bone and Mineral Research Program at the Garvan Institute studying the role of vitamin D in bone. Dr Thomas then spent five years with a biotechnology company in Montréal leading a project characterising novel bone genes which resulted in the identification and characterisation of two novel bone genes, Ostn and Bril, with Ostn being patented and targeted for drug development. In 2005, Dr Thomas returned to academia in Australia to work with Professor Matthew Brown in the Musculoskeletal Genetics Group, focusing on the functional characterisation of genes identified by genetic screens in bone and joint disease.
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