Published on November 27, 2009 at 5:43 AM
Research at the University of Leicester analyzing common Baking and Brewers yeast is providing new insights into aspects of human health and fertility.
The study in the world-renowned Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester is examining the fundamental aspects of fertility in this yeast.
It is being led by Professor Rhona H Borts, Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award Holder and Director of the Leicester Institute of Genetics and Genome Sciences in the Department of Genetics.
She is delivering the Frank May Lecture on Wednesday 2 December entitled: 'The many faces of mismatch repair: From cancer predisposition to the creation of new species' . It will take place at 5:30 pm in the Frank and Katherine May Lecture Theatre, Henry Wellcome Building. The lecture is free and open to all.
Professor Borts said: "In this lecture I will discuss how we use the common Baking and Brewers yeast to help us improve our understanding of how things work in humans. Experiments aimed at understanding the fundamental aspects of fertility in this yeast have lead to a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of both cancer and infertility.
Her work is also showing how genes prevent established species from interbreeding.
Source: University of Leicester