Colin Shepherd
Colin began his career with a BSc (Hons) degree in Biochemistry and then a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology, both obtained from the University of Glasgow, UK.
Colin is now Fios Genomics‘ Scientific Editor, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Utilising his skills and experience in molecular biology and genetic research to enhance the evaluation of client genomics data, provide biological insight and draw reasoned conclusions. Responsible for the overall quality management, scientific integrity, coordination and delivery of client reports.
Experienced in all aspects of scientific research, including: execution of experiments, analysis and interpretation of data, publication in high-impact journals and delivery of oral presentations to a variety of audiences. Skilled in the editing and reviewing of scientific material.
Articles by Colin Shepherd
Discover the pros and cons of CRISPR as a genome-editing tool in your research.
Want to do some epigenome editing? Discover the usefulness of catalytically inactive (dead) Cas9.
Level-up your troubleshooting ability by determining the success of failure of each stage of your CRISPR experiment.
Allele-specific expression can occur for various biological reasons, such as gene imprinting, or differential transcription caused by mutations, or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or epigenetic alterations. Traditional end-point RT-PCR or qRT-PCR-based methods only detect overall levels of mRNA expression from a given gene rather than mRNA transcripts originating from individuals. If your project requires more…
The cell cycle has been very well documented over the years because of its dysregulation in diseases such as cancer. Many different processes contribute to cell growth and replication, which is ultimately controlled by a series of tightly controlled cell cycle phases. For some areas of research, especially within drug discovery and cancer research, cell synchronization in…
Thousands upon thousands of genetic variants are now associated with every disease and trait you can possibly think of. Such traits range from cancers to blood pressure, intelligence, height, weight… and many more! This is largely because of the advent of genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, the vast majority of genetic loci associated with these traits are…
Part of the fun of science is the opportunity to conjure up hypotheses and ways in which to test them. Of course, being scientists, our ideas are highly thought out and logical. We aim to test the hypothesis which we think is the most likely explanation using the available supporting evidence. In addition, it is…
So, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for your disease of interest was published, and it has thrown up some very interesting associations. However, at this stage, bear in mind that this is only an association. Your project is to provide the link between the GWAS single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and pathological changes. Where do…
For many students, a PhD project is the first opportunity to really sink your teeth into your very own research project over a long period of time. This initial period is exciting but can also be a little daunting. Where do you begin? How do you actually design your first experiments? I mean, what are…