Projects 6
Publications 10
Awards 0

Biography

Sacha Jensen is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences and Molecular Biology. He completed his PhD at the University of Sydney, where he investigated the intermolecular interactions involved in the assembly of elastic fibres in connective tissues. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral research in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford, focusing on the structure, interactions, and assembly of fibrillin microfibrils.

Sacha's research centres on the structure, assembly, and function of the extracellular matrix during tissue development, and on understanding how disruption of extracellular matrix organisation contributes to disorders such as Marfan syndrome.

As an experimental scientist, he has extensive experience across a broad range of research techniques, including molecular biology, recombinant protein expression in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic systems, biophysical approaches to studying protein structure and interactions (including NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography), mammalian cell biology, immunofluorescence microscopy, and genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Since moving to James Cook University in 2019, he has contributed to teaching in subjects covering biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular biology. He currently coordinates BM1201 (Energy Metabolism: Powering Life) and BM3332 (Advanced Projects in Biomedicine).

Research

Projects

Research Collaborators and Partners

University of Oxford
Shriners Hospital for Children - OR
James Cook University
James Cook University
James Cook University

Teaching

Research Advisor Accreditation

Advisor Type

Primary


Taught Modules

Current JCU Research Students

Molecular Characterisation of Shellfish Allergy: From Allergen Sensitisation to Improved Diagnosis
Doctor of Philosophy (Medical, Molecular and Veterinary Sciences)

Completed JCU Research Students

Development of a high-throughput HIV-1 integrase drug screening platform
Master of Philosophy (Medical and Molecular Sciences)- 2023
Defining the ancestral replication fork trap in Tus-dependent bacteria
Master of Philosophy (Natural and Physical Sciences)- 2021

Completed Honours and External Research Students

Effects of disease-associated mutations on the fold and secretion of fibulin-5
PHD
Investigating molecular mechanisms underlying Marfan syndrome, based on fibrillin-1 secretion and assembly
RESEARCH_MASTERS
Fibrillin-1 cell surface interactions with syndecan-4
HONOURS

Activities

Education

Employment

Output

Moran, Megan N.; Jones, D.B.; Jensen, S.A.; Marcoli, R.; Jerry, D. R. (2024) 'Optimising commercial traits through gene editing in aquaculture: Strategies for accelerating genetic improvement'. Reviews in Aquaculture, 16 (3):1127-1159. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Meng, Yao; Sanlidag, Sami; Jensen, Sacha A.; Burnap, Sean A.; Struwe, Weston B.; Section, Andreas H. Larsen; Feng, Xinyi; Mittal, Shruti; Sansom, Mark S.P.; Sahlgren, Cecilia; Handford, Penny A. (2022) 'An N-glycan on the C2 domain of JAGGED1 is important for Notch activation'. Science Signaling, 15 (755). [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Jensen, Sacha A.; Atwa, Ondine; Handford, Penny A. (2021) 'Assembly assay identifies a critical region of human fibrillin-1 required for 10 - 12 nm diameter microfibril biogenesis'. PLoS ONE, 16 (3). [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Del Cid, Joselyn S.; Isik Reed, Nilgun; Molnar, Kathleen; Liu, Sean; Dang, Bobo; Jensen, Sacha A.; DeGrado, William; Handford, Penny; Sheppard, Dean; Sundaram, Aparna B. (2019) 'A disease associated mutation in fibrillin-1 differentially regulates integrin mediated cell adhesion'. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 294 (48):18232-18243. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Pfeffer, Inga; Brewitz, Lennart; Krojer, Tobias; Jensen, Sacha A.; Kochan, Grazyna T.; Kershaw, Nadia J.; Hewitson, Kirsty S.; McNeill, Luke A.; Kramer, Holger; Münzel, Martin; Hopkinson, Richard J.; Oppermann, Udo; Handford, Penny A.; McDonough, Michael A.; Schofield, Christopher J. (2019) 'Aspartate/asparagine-β-hydroxylase crystal structures reveal an unexpected epidermal growth factor-like domain substrate disulfide pattern'. Nature Communications, 10 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Robertson, Ian B.; Dias, Hans F.; Osuch, Isabelle H.; Lowe, Edward D.; Jensen, Sacha A.; Redfield, Christina; Handford, Penny A. (2017) 'The N-terminal region of Fibrillin-1 mediates a bipartite interaction with LTBP1'. Structure, 25 (8):1208-1221.e5. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Jensen, Sacha A.; Handford, Penny A. (2016) 'New insights into the structure, assembly and biological roles of 10–12 nm connective tissue microfibrils from fibrillin-1 studies'. Biochemical Journal, 473 (7):827-838. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Jensen, Sacha A.; Iqbal, Sarah; Bulsiewicz, Alicja; Handford, Penny A. (2015) 'A microfibril assembly assay identifies different mechanisms of dominance underlying Marfan syndrome, stiff skin syndrome and acromelic dysplasias'. Human Molecular Genetics, 24 (15):4454-4463. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Jensen, Sacha A.; Aspinall, Georgia; Handford, Penny A.; (2014) 'C-terminal propeptide is required for fibrillin-1 secretion and blocks premature assembly through linkage to domains cbEGF41-43'. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111 (28):10155-10160. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Yadin, David A.; Robertson, Ian B.; McNaught-Davis, Joanne; Evans, Paul; Stoddart, David; Handford, Penny A.; Jensen, Sacha A.; Redfield, Christina (2013) 'Structure of the Fibrillin-1 N-Terminal Domains Suggests that Heparan Sulfate Regulates the Early Stages of Microfibril Assembly'. Structure, 21 (10):1743-1756. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU