Rate My Professor Anastasia Labudina

Anastasia Labudina is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Clinical Genetics Group at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago. As a developmental biologist specializing in stem cell biology and tissue formation, her fascination with the regulation of three-dimensional genome structure and its influence on stem cell differentiation and development led her to begin her research career in Dunedin. She holds a degree in Molecular Biology from Lomonosov Moscow State University and a degree in Regenerative Biology and Medicine from Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. Labudina completed her PhD in the Department of Pathology at the University of Otago, supervised by Professor Julia Horsfield in the Chromosome Structure and Development Group. Her doctoral thesis, recognized as an exceptional PhD thesis by the Division of Health Sciences in 2023, employed zebrafish stem cell models to investigate the genetic basis of cohesinopathies. She was awarded the Otago Medical School Research Society PhD Student Award in both 2022 and 2023 for her outstanding contributions.

Currently, as a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, Labudina focuses on unraveling the genetic mechanisms of periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH), particularly the role of SON gene mutations in its pathogenesis. Her research advances understanding of developmental disorders and informs potential therapeutic strategies. Labudina has published key papers in prominent journals, including "Cohesin mutations are synthetic lethal with stimulation of WNT signaling" (eLife, 2020), "Cohesin components Stag1 and Stag2 differentially influence haematopoietic mesoderm development in zebrafish embryos" (Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2020), "The three-dimensional genome in zebrafish development" (Briefings in Functional Genomics, 2021), and "Cohesin composition and dosage independently affect early development in zebrafish" (Development, 2024). Earlier works encompass studies on somatic stem cell proliferation in Drosophila testis niche (Development, 2018) and stochastic cell migration in vertebrate retina development (Development, 2019). With over 116 citations, her publications underscore her growing impact in molecular and developmental biology fields.