Joshua Clayton

Dr. Joshua Clayton is a Research Fellow at the UWA Medical School and the UWA Centre for Medical Research (affiliated with the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research). He holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of Western Australia (2018), focusing on microRNA regulation in immune cells. His current research employs induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model neuromuscular diseases and test therapies. Clayton collaborates with Prof. Nigel Laing and A/Prof Gina Ravenscroft on projects including disease-causing repeat expansions, splicing assays, and therapy development.

Key research interests include muscle disease modeling, gene therapy, and CRISPR/Cas9 applications. He has contributed to over 29 publications and led roles in two grants: 'Building translational capacity in WA' (2023–2027) and 'Testing novel genetic therapies for ACTA1 nemaline myopathy' (2020–2022). His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals addressing health and innovation.

Notable achievements include generating iPSC lines for muscle disorder studies and developing splicing assays for genetic variant analysis. Clayton’s lab focuses on translating research into clinical treatments for Australian children with muscle diseases.