We’re excited to welcome Dr Tessa Cacciottolo and Dr Lucas Bouys to the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) as part of the Chain Florey Clinician Scientist Programme. Both are part of the Transition-To-Independence (TTI) scheme, a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship that supports clinician scientists who have recently completed or are nearing the completion of their clinical training.
By Emily Armstrong
May 21, 2025
Time to read: 2 minutes
Tessa is working alongside Dave Carling’s laboratory in the Cellular Stress group, where she is studying rare forms of fatty liver disease. Her research focuses on identifying new genetic causes of the disease in people who are young or slim. By uncovering these genetic factors, Tessa aims to shed light on the mechanisms driving disease development, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets for treatment.
Tessa, a Hepatology consultant, transitioned her research on fatty liver disease from the University of Cambridge to the LMS and Imperial College London NHS Trust. This move enables her to continue recruiting patients and deepen her investigation into the disease by combining her laboratory techniques at the LMS with her clinical practice.
“The Chain Florey TTI Fellowship has given me a unique opportunity to build on my research training so far, and take it in new and exciting directions, whilst progressing my clinical career as an Honorary Consultant in Hepatology,” says Tessa.
A few weeks later, Lucas started at the LMS and is working with Petra Hajkova’s laboratory in the Reprogramming and Chromatin group. For his research project, he is using a new cell model of the adrenal cortex, made from human stem cells, created by Dr Kotaro Sasaki’s team at the University of Pennsylvania. Working with Dr Sasaki, he is developing a model to study adrenal tumours by adding genetic changes to certain genes that help prevent cancer. This model will help us better understand a condition called bilateral macronodular adrenocortical disease, shedding light on how it works and how it may differ between men and women.
Lucas who is an endocrinology consultant, relocated with his family from Paris to join the Chain Florey Programme at the LMS.
“I am proud and grateful to have joined the LMS through the prestigious Chain Florey programme,” says Lucas. “The precious protected research time provided by the scheme is a unique opportunity for me to pursue my research project I started in Paris, while taking it in new, exciting directions in the amazing scientific environment of the LMS, and especially within Petra Hajkova’s group.”
We are thrilled to welcome Lucas and Tessa to the LMS and to the Chain Florey Programme in the TTI scheme. We look forward to supporting their journey as they progress towards independence.