Profile: Prof Mark Blaxter

Prof. Mark Blaxter and his group use modern sequencing and bioinformatics technologies to investigate the genomes of many different species of animals. They have a particular focus on parasites, and use the genome sequence information to work with colleagues worldwide in developing new drugs and vaccines for diseases of humans, domestic animals and plants. They also study wild, tiny animals common in moss and soil ecosystems, using genomics technologies to both investigate how they play their ecological roles, and to better place them in the evolutionary tree of life.

Mark is also Science Director of Edinburgh Genomics, one of the largest Genomics facilities in the UK. Edinburgh Genomics works with collaborators across the UK and Europe on a wide range of projects, from clinical genomics, to crop improvement, to basic research investigating key issues in biology.