Sophie G. Martin

Sophie Geneviève Elisabeth Martin Benton is a Swiss biologist who is Professor and Director of the Department of Fundamental Microbiology at the University of Lausanne.[1][2] Her research investigates the molecular processes that underpin cellular fusion. She was awarded the EMBO Gold Medal in 2014.

Sophie Martin
Born
Sophie Geneviève Elisabeth Martin
Alma materUniversity of Lausanne
University of Cambridge
SpouseRichard Benton
AwardsEMBO Gold Medal (2014)
EMBO Member (2020)
Scientific career
FieldsCell polarity
Cell fusion
Cytoskeleton
Cell cycle[1]
InstitutionsColumbia University
University of Lausanne
ThesisMolecular and genetic analysis of cell polarisation, mRNA localisation and axis formation during Drosophila oogenesis (2002)
Websitewp.unil.ch/martinlab/lab-members/sophie-martin/

Early life and education

Martin was an undergraduate student at the University of Lausanne, where she studied the organisation of chromatin with Susan M. Gasser. She was based in the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research. After graduating, Martin joined Daniel St Johnston at the University of Cambridge, where she investigated the molecular mechanism of cell polarisation and the localisation of mRNA. She earned her PhD in 2002.[3] 

Research and career

Martin moved to Columbia University, where she worked on cell polarisation and fission.[4] In 2007, Martin returned to the University of Lausanne, where she was made a Swiss National Science Foundation Professor at the Center for Integrative Genomics. She was promoted to full Professor in 2018.[5][6][7]

Martin was awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant to study cellular fusion.[8] The fusion of cells is critical in fertilisation and development, and influences the formation of bone, tissue regeneration and cancer. Such fusion requires communication between cells, followed by polarisation, self-assembly and membrane juxtaposition.[9] Her ERC Consolidator grant was focused on cellular fusion in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a simple yeast model. The cells are haploids and fuse to form a diploid zygote. Martin studies the communication between cells and the mechanisms that underpin actin fusion focus formation.

Awards and honours

Personal life

Martin is married to biologist Richard Benton.[11]

References
  1. Sophie G. Martin publications indexed by Google Scholar
  2. Sophie G. Martin publications from Europe PubMed Central
  3. Martin, Sophie Geneviève (2002). Molecular and genetic analysis of cell polarisation, mRNA localisation and axis formation during Drosophila oogenesis. cam.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Cambridge. OCLC 894595744. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.620714.
  4. "Prof. Sophie G Martin - AcademiaNet". academia-net.org. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  5. S G Martin; T Laroche; N Suka; M Grunstein; S M Gasser (28 May 1999). "Relocalization of telomeric Ku and SIR proteins in response to DNA strand breaks in yeast". Cell. 97 (5): 621–33. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(00)80773-4. ISSN 0092-8674. PMID 10367891. Wikidata Q27936427.
  6. T Laroche; Sophie G. Martin; Monica Gotta; H C Gorham; F E Pryde; E J Louis; S M Gasser (1 May 1998). "Mutation of yeast Ku genes disrupts the subnuclear organization of telomeres". Current Biology. 8 (11): 653–656. doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(98)70252-0. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 9635192. Wikidata Q47946111.
  7. Sophie G. Martin; Daniel St Johnston (1 January 2003). "A role for Drosophila LKB1 in anterior-posterior axis formation and epithelial polarity". Nature. 421 (6921): 379–384. doi:10.1038/NATURE01296. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 12540903. Wikidata Q34530696.
  8. "Molecular dissection of the mechanisms of cell-cell fusion in the fission yeast". cordis.europea.eu.
  9. "The mechanisms of cell-cell fusion – The Martin Lab". Retrieved 2022-07-17.
  10. "Unisciences - UNIL - Sophie Martin". applicationspub.unil.ch. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  11. Sophie G. Martin (1 November 2012). "Being at the right place at the right time". Molecular Biology of the Cell. 23 (21): 4148–4150. doi:10.1091/MBC.E12-05-0384. ISSN 1059-1524. PMC 3484088. PMID 23112223. Wikidata Q36356472.
  12. "WICB Junior Award for Excellence in Research". ASCB. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  13. "Sophie Martin to be awarded EMBO Gold medal 2014 – The Martin Lab". Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  14. "Le Prix Friedrich Miescher 2014 octroyé à Sophie Martin". news.unil.ch. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  15. "Find people in the EMBO Communities". people.embo.org. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
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