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Frances Platt

Frances Platt

Professor Frances Platt FMedSci FRS

Fellow


Elected: 2021

Contact:

wwwhttps://plattlab.pharm.ox.ac.uk

ORCID0000-0001-7614-0403

Biography

Frances Platt is a biochemist and pharmacologist. She studies a group of rare genetic disorders called lysosomal storage diseases with a view to developing new drug therapies. The lysosome, a compartment inside cells, is responsible for breaking down big molecules. When the lysosome goes wrong molecules build up in the lysosome and this accumulation of material is called 'storage'. Frances focuses on a subgroup of these diseases in which fatty molecules called sphingolipids are stored. These rare diseases mainly affect infants and children, but adults can also develop these disorders. They are all progressive in nature and most affect the brain leading to neurodegeneration.

Frances found that a drug she was studying as an anti-viral compound could be used to treat lysosomal diseases. Her research with colleagues in Oxford led to the approval of the drug miglustat for treating Gaucher disease and Niemann-Pick disease type C. She has also developed other drugs for treating these rare diseases that are currently in clinical trials. Frances's research therefore spans basic science and translation.

Professional positions

Professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Department Of Pharmacology, University of Oxford

Interest and expertise

Subject groups

  • Biochemistry and molecular cell biology
    • Biochemistry and molecular biology, Cell biology (incl molecular cell biology)
  • Microbiology, immunology and developmental biology
    • Cellular pathology
  • Anatomy, physiology and neurosciences
    • Pharmacology (non-clinical)
  • Health and human sciences
    • Medicine, clinical studies

Keywords

Niemann-Pick disease type C, Parkinson’s disease

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