Emma Davison

Dr. Emma Davison completed her doctoral training at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) but also spent time at the University of British Columbia as a visiting PhD candidate. Emma held a Rutherford Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Auckland and has worked on numerous projects involving the synthesis and development of important bioactive molecules over the course of her career to date.

Antisense oligonucleotides (AON) are short lengths of RNA or DNA which are used to change gene expression to treat diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Like DNA, AONs are made up of chains of nucleotide units, but to make them useful as drugs, these nucleotides have to be structurally changed. Locked nucleic acids (LNAs) are a very useful type of altered nucleotide unit, since they are not broken down as quickly in the body and attach strongly to the gene they are targeting.

As an MSFHR Research Trainee at Simon Fraser University, Emma will be synthesizing a large number of structurally unique LNAs using novel technology developed by Prof. Robert Brittons research team. The novel LNAs will be incorporated into AONs to find the best ones to use as innovative cancer chemotherapies.

For an up-to-date list of publications by Emma, please visit Emma’s ORCiD page.