Miss Lovely Lorynda Océane Monney

Lovely Lorynda Océane Monney

UKRI GUARANTEE DOCTORAL NETWORK FELLOW
PhD student

School of Engineering and Materials Science
Queen Mary University of London
Member of Prof Martin Knight's Research Group
LinkedIn

Research

Primary cilia, Kidney, Cell biology, Bioengineering, Organ on chip

Interests

My research focuses on understanding how inflammatory signals, mechanical stimuli, and pharmaceutical compounds regulate primary cilia length and polarity in kidney epithelial cells. I am particularly interested in the role of primary cilia in integrating biochemical and biomechanical cues and how their dysfunction contributes to diseases such as polycystic kidney disease.

My expertise includes in vitro models, high-content imaging, and quantitative image analysis to assess cilia morphology and cellular responses. I work with human kidney epithelial cell lines, including CRISPR-engineered models, to investigate disease-relevant phenotypes. I also have experience in immunofluorescence staining, confocal microscopy, calcium imaging, and statistical analysis of large-scale datasets from high-throughput screens.

More broadly, I am interested in developing physiologically relevant models, including organ-on-chip systems, to better understand how mechanical forces, such as fluid shear stress, influence epithelial cell behaviour and signalling pathways.