Skip to main content

Staff Profile

Dr Katja Menger

Research Associate

  • Email: katja.menger@ncl.ac.uk
  • Address: Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research
    4th Floor Cookson Building
    The Medical School
    Newcastle University
    Framlington Place
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE2 4HH
Background

Research

Research Associate, Newcastle University (2018-current). Lab of Dr. Tom Nicholls.

Research Associate, University College London (2014-2018). Lab of Prof. Robin Ali.

Investigator Scientist, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Cambridge (2013-2014), lab of Prof Michael Murphy.

Education

PhD Mitochondrial Genetics, University of Cambridge (2009-2014), lab of Prof Michael Murphy

BSc and MSc Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Oulu (2005-2008)

Undergraduate studies in Biochemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (2002-2005)

Research

Mitochondrial DNA maintenance, propagation and disease

Human cells contain several thousand copies of the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) which are packaged into nucleoprotein complexes termed nucleoids. These genomes are replicated throughout the cell cycle, and are found evenly distributed around the dynamic mitochondrial network. At the end of mtDNA replication the genomes must be disentangled and resolved, before then being distributed within the cell. Our work uses molecular, biochemical and cell biology techniques to study these processes in human cells. The aims of this work are: (1) to determine how mtDNA is disentangled following DNA replication; (2) to identify and characterise factors that are required for mtDNA resolution and segregation; and (3) to elucidate the molecular basis of human mitochondrial diseases linked to impaired mtDNA resolution and segregation.