Miss Claire Massey
BSc MSc
Laboratory Manager
Department: Clinical Science and Services
Campus: Camden
Claire is the laboratory manager at the Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Laboratory and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the lab and the clincial muscle biopsy service.
Claire graduated in 2005 from Leicester University with a degree in Medical Biochemistry and completed a Masters of Forensic Science at King's College London in 2007. She began working as a research assistant at the RVC in 2008 becoming laboratory manager in 2013.
Current research centres on polysaccharide storage myopathy and identifying gene mutations in both small and large animals with different neuromuscular diseases. Previous research has focused on causes of exertional rhabdomyolysis in horses including polysaccharide storage myopathy and malignant hyperthermia.
Amoasii L, Hildyard JCW, Li H, Sanchez-Ortiz E, Mireault A, Caballero D, Harron R, Stathopoulou TR, Massey C, Shelton JM, Bassel-Duby R, Piercy RJ, Olson EN. Gene editing restores dystrophin expression in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Science. 2018 Oct 5;362(6410):86-91.
Hildyard JCW, Taylor-Brown F, Massey C, Wells DJ, Piercy RJ. Determination of qPCR Reference Genes Suitable for Normalizing Gene Expression in a Canine Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. J Neuromuscul Dis. 2018;5(2):177-191
Anfinsen KP, Piercy RJ, Massey C, Smith KC, Kenny PJ, Garden OA. Severe systemic calciphylaxis in a young cat. J Vet Intern Med. 2014 Jul-Aug;28(4):1325-30
Massey CA, Walmsley GL, Gliddon TP, Piercy RJ. Vacuolar myopathy in an adult warmblood horse. Neuromuscul Disord. 2013 Jun;23(6):473-7
Naylor RJ, Livesey L, Schumacher J, Henke N, Massey C, Brock KV, Fernandez-Fuente M, Piercy RJ. Allele copy number and underlying pathology are associated with subclinical severity in equine type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM1). PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e42317.
Isgren CM, Upjohn MM, Fernandez-Fuente M, Massey C, Pollott G, Verheyen KL, Piercy RJ.Epidemiology of exertional rhabdomyolysis susceptibility in standardbred horses reveals associated risk factors and underlying enhanced performance. PLoS One. 2010 Jul 14;5(7):e11594.