Eileen Furlong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eileen Furlong
FRS MAE
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| Born |
Eileen E.M. Furlong
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin (BSc, PhD) |
| Awards | Member of the Academia Europaea (2016) EMBO Membership (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Enhancers Chromatin topology Embryonic development Single cell genomics Transcription factors |
| Institutions | European Molecular Biology Laboratory Stanford University |
| Thesis | Tissue-specific regulation of gene expression by the transcription factors Ying-Yang 1 and nuclear factor 1 (1996) |
| Doctoral advisor | Finian Martin |
Eileen E. M. Furlong is an Irish scientist who studies molecular biology. She focuses on how our genome (all our DNA) works. She looks at how genes are turned on and off.
Dr. Furlong is especially known for her work on enhancers. These are parts of DNA that help control when and where genes are active. Her research helps us understand how a single cell develops into a complex living thing. She is a leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
Contents
Becoming a Scientist
Eileen Furlong went to University College Dublin in Ireland. There, she earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science. Later, she completed her PhD at the same university. For her PhD, she studied how genes are controlled.
Her Work and Discoveries
After her PhD, Dr. Furlong moved to Stanford University in the United States. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher. This means she continued her research training after getting her PhD. At Stanford, she helped create new tools to study how living things develop.
In 2002, Eileen Furlong started her own research group at EMBL. By 2009, she became the head of her department. Her team uses different methods to study how genes are regulated. They combine genomics (studying all genes), genetics (studying how traits are passed on), and computational biology (using computers to understand biology).
How Genes Are Controlled
Dr. Furlong's group studies how non-coding parts of DNA control genes. These parts don't make proteins themselves. But they act like switches that turn genes on or off. They often use the development of muscle cells as a model.
Her research has shown important things about enhancers:
- Enhancers can form "loops" with gene promoters. This helps them communicate.
- Many enhancers can still work even if the larger DNA structure changes.
- Cells have ways to make sure development happens correctly. This is true even if there are small changes in the DNA.
New Tools for Science
Dr. Furlong's work has also led to new ways to study development. Her team helped create special microarray chips for Drosophila (fruit flies). They also developed a machine to sort tiny transgenic embryos automatically. These tools help scientists study many genes at once.
Her group also developed methods to study gene control in specific tissues or even single cells. This helps scientists get a very detailed picture of how development happens.
Awards and Recognition
Eileen Furlong has received many honors for her important work:
- In 2013, she became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
- In 2016, she was elected a member of the Academia Europaea.
- In 2022, she was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the United Kingdom.
