Dr Franchesca Houghton
Associate Professor in Stem Cells and Developmental Biology
BRC Academic Career Development Lead
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Dr Houghton is Associate Professor in Stem Cells and Developmental Biology at the University of Southampton and Academic Career Development Lead (ACDL) for the NIHR Southampton BRC.
Her research focusses on early development, stem cells and regenerative medicine. She is interested in how the environment impacts the metabolism and development of the preimplantation embryo. She also investigates mechanisms that regulate the maintenance and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. These cells hold great potential for regenerative medicine since they have the potential to give rise to all cells of the body. Dr Houghton is particularly interested in cartilage tissue generation.
Dr Houghton previously served as Programme Secretary for the Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF). She chaired the programme organising committee for the annual SRF conference. She also chaired the joint programme committee for the Fertility 2016 international conference. In addition, she represented the SRF on the organising committee of two, triennial World Congress of Reproductive Biology conferences during her term of office.
As Academic Career Development Lead for the NIHR Southampton BRC, Dr Houghton is committed to training the next generation of research scientists. She also leads the MMedSc programme for intercalating medical students.
Dr Houghton conceived, designed and directed the first standalone research master’s programme in the Faculty of Medicine. She has supervised numerous undergraduate and master’s research projects. She has also supervised 12 PhD students through to successful completion. Dr Houghton is a Personal Academic Tutor to several medical students and a PhD student mentor.
Previously, Dr Houghton was Doctoral Programme Lead for the School of Human Development and Health. She was also Deputy Director of Faculty Postgraduate studies. In these roles, she provided support to supervisors and postgraduate research students.
Dr Houghton became fascinated with Developmental Biology during her undergraduate Biomedical Sciences degree. This led her to pursue a DPhil in embryo metabolism at the University of York. She then took up a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Dr Houghton returned to the University of York for further postdoctoral studies. There, she was awarded a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship. This was instrumental in the establishment of her own research group. In 2006, Dr Houghton took up a lectureship position in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton. She was later promoted to Associate Professor.
Selected publications:
Kermack, A.J., Fesenko, I., Christensen, D.R., Parry, K.L., Lowen, P., Wellstead, S.J., Harris, S.F., Calder, P.C., Macklon, N.S. & Houghton, F.D. (2022) Incubator type affects human blastocyst formation and embryo metabolism: a randomised controlled trial. Hum. Reprod. 37: 2757-2767.
Griffith, L.A., Arnold, K.M., Sengers, B.G., Tare, R.S. & Houghton, F.D. (2021) A scaffold-free approach to cartilage tissue generation using human embryonic stem cells. Sci. Rep. 11:18921.
Kermack, A.J., Lowen, P., Wellstead, S.J., Fisk, H.L., Montag, M., Cheong, Y., Osmond, C., Houghton, F.D., Calder, P.C. & Macklon, N.S. (2020) Effect of a 6-week “Mediterranean” dietary intervention on in vitro human embryo development: the preconception dietary supplements in assisted reproduction double-blinded randomized controlled trial. Fertil. Steril. 113: 260-269.
Petruzzelli, R., Christensen D.R., Parry, K.L., Sanchez-Elsner, T. & Houghton, F.D. (2014) HIF-2α regulates NANOG expression in human embryonic stem cells following hypoxia and reoxygenation through the interaction with an oct-sox cis regulatory element. Plos One 9(10): e108309.
Forristal, C.E., Wright, K.L., Hanley, N.A., Oreffo, R.O. & Houghton, F.D. (2010) Hypoxia inducible factors regulate pluripotency and proliferation in human embryonic stem cells cultured at reduced oxygen tensions. Reproduction 139: 85-97.
Selected grants:
Application of human pluripotent stem cell-derived chondrocytes to enhance articular cartilage repair. F Houghton, R Tare & P Skipp. Wessex Medical Research & Rosetrees Trust (2025-2029).
Generating cartilage from pluripotent stem cells. F Houghton & R Tare. MRC CiC & EPSRC IAA (2019-2021).
Generating cartilage from a clinically relevant population of human cells. F Houghton & R Tare. Rosetrees Trust & Institute for Life Sciences (IfLS), University of Southampton (2019).
Application of a custom-built acoustofluidic perfusion bioreactor to model differentiation of human embryonic stem cells and bioengineer neocartilage explants. F Houghton, R Tare, P Glynne-Jones & M Hill. IfLS & Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton (2015-2018).
Generating cartilage from human embryonic stem cells to treat osteoarthritis. F Houghton & R Tare. Rosetrees Trust (2015-2018).
Control of stem cell self-renewal by the CtBP family of metabolic sensors. F Houghton & J Blaydes. Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship & Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton (2014-2018).
PROMOTE: A prospective randomised trial comparing embryo metabolism and development in the standard versus the embryoscope incubator. A Kermack, F Houghton, D Yell, P Calder & N Macklon. NIHR Southampton BRC Commercial and Enterprise Incubator Fund (2014-2016).