Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Saf Zerelli

Biography

Dr. Saf Zerelli graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2002. He went on to work in the Pharmacogenomics industry at Sciona Inc. as a Research & Development Scientist. In 2003, Matthew returned to academia in Southampton as a research assistant in the Human Genetics Division, Faculty of Medicine.Following his PhD in the Respiratory Genetics Laboratory of Professor John Holloway, Matthew joined the Cancer Genomics laboratory of Professor Jonathan Strefford within the Cancer Sciences Unit in the Faculty of Medicine as a postdoctoral researcher. After two successful postdoctoral positions and through mentorship from Professor Strefford, he is now developing his own research area in cancer genetics.

Research Interest

His reseach is focussed in understanding the clonal evolution of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) at the genetic level from diagnosis through to progression, treatment and relapse. By utilising next generation sequencing of whole exomes and high-depth targeted re-sequencing I have been investigating the genetic pathogenesis of a progressive subtype of CLL (mutated-IGHV CLL with no poor-risk biomarkers, defining ~30% of all CLL). I have identified regions of the leukaemia cancer genome targeted by gene mutations and copy number changes that elucidate the natural history of a patient’s cancer at the genetic level.