Galina Boskh
DPhil student
Galina Boskh is a DPhil student under the supervision of Professor Shijie Cai and Professor Steve Hyde. Her research focuses on investigating metabolic pathways that limit lentiviral vector transduction in hepatocytes, using a multi-omics approach. This work is supported by the ABViP CTP studentship, jointly funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and OXB.
The liver is a key target for gene therapy due to its central role in metabolism and protein secretion. However, efficient transduction of quiescent adult hepatocytes with lentiviral vectors remains challenging, in part due to intracellular factors that restrict vector entry, integration, and transgene expression. The project integrates proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics to characterise these limiting pathways, with a particular focus on metabolic processes. The overarching goal is to optimise the cellular environment and to enhance lentiviral vector-mediated gene delivery to hepatocytes.
Before starting her DPhil, Galina completed a BSc in Biochemistry at The University of Manchester, where she worked on drug repurposing strategies for fibrosis. She then obtained an MSc in Genes, Drugs and Stem Cells – Novel Therapies at Imperial College London, working on the design of chrimeric antigen receptor viral vectors to improve target cell transduction.
Recent activities include presenting a poster at the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, where the research was kindly recognised with a poster award.