Dr. Abdullah Khan
MRC WIMM, Oxford University
Dr. Abdullah Khan (Abs), is a Senior Research Fellow currently based at the MRC WIMM in Oxford. Abs’ primary research interest is in engineering and applying multi-lineage, 3D models for the study of human diseases. Abs completed his Ph.D. at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, during which he established a method for the generation of CRISPR-edited megakaryocytes (platelet-producing cells) from human induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs). Alongside this, he also developed a CRISPR-based approach to express photo-switchable tags in iPSCs and their progeny, enabling single molecule imaging. After completing his Ph.D. in 2019, he was awarded a prestigious Sir Henry Wellcome fellowship for his current work, developing a human iPSC-derived bone marrow organoid model. This work was recently published in Cancer Discovery and Nature Protocols. This platform provides the first bone marrow organoid that maintains architectural and cellular features of native human myelopoietic bone marrow, creating a much-needed platform for drug discovery and disease modelling. His research has also included work investigating the role of pericytes in the endotheliitis that occurs after severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the development of a vascularised cardiac microtissue system for the study of remodelling in the heart.
