Earlier this year, the LMB was pleased to appoint Keren Turton as the new Tissue Culture Facility Manager.
The LMB’s Tissue Culture Facility assists with protein expression in both insect cells, using baculovirus expression systems, and mammalian cells. Keren oversees these both, ensuring necessary materials are stocked, responding to orders, and growing the required quantity of cells. Demand can fluctuate, but her current record is preparing 22 litres of cells in one day.
Keren also conducts inductions for new users of the facility so researchers can independently grow cultures. Additionally, she has already demonstrated success in introducing new eco policies, such as pushing for a transition from plastic to glass for certain cells, which is cost-effective as well as being more environmentally friendly.
Aside from the day-to-day duties of running the facility, Keren has also provided assistance in larger projects to numerous research groups. This has included cell harvesting and genetic modifications to cell lines using CRISPR. She looks forward to the opportunity to further expand her experimental repertoire and learn more techniques.
Keren was born in South Africa and is a triplet. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she moved to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA to pursue Ph.D. studies in immune cell biology. Following this, she completed postdoctoral studies focusing on bacterial cell biology and protein expression at Queen’s University Belfast. This experience together means she has been working with tissue culture for over 14 years.
Keren commented, “The LMB is a great place to work. I was supposed to visit in 2008, but unfortunately the visit was cancelled, and ever since I really wanted to come and see the LMB. It’s a wonderful place to just enjoy witnessing science, doing some of that myself, but also going to seminars with people who are at work in the building and getting excited. The LMB has got a really lovely culture and a sense of sharing – if you want to learn a new skill or technique, someone will help. There’s a lot of mixing between groups and people are very generous with their time.”
Further references
Marc North: new Head of IT
Catarina Franco appointed Head of Mass Spectrometry
Scientific Facilities & Support Services