Dr Nicola Royle

Nicola Royle obtained her B.Sc. in Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Manchester and her Ph.D. at the University of Reading. Following a 3year postdoctoral position, in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Manitoba, Canada, she joined the University of Leicester.

In 1991 she was awarded a 6year MRC-HGMP Senior Research Fellow that enabled her to develop her own research group. She became a member of academic staff in 1997, was promoted in 2002 and retired March 2021. Since retirement Royle continues to contribute as external examiner and through outreach activities in local schools.

Nicola Royle’s research focussed on cellular processes that impacted on the length and stability of telomeric DNA in somatic cells and in the germ line. Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes and thus play essential roles in the maintenance of genome stability and cancer avoidance. In humans, telomere shortening regulates the number of cell divisions prior to the onset of cellular senescence therefore, telomeres shorten with increasing age.

Prior to her retirement Royle’s research also included studies of large human herpesviruses (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) and chicken Marek’s Disease Virus (MDV) that can integrate into and be released from host telomeres. A model for excision of the viral genomes through telomere-loop driven processes was proposed.

Since retirement Royle continues to contribute as external examiner and through outreach activities in local schools.