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Borg was educated at the University of Malta where he was awarded a PhD in 2010 for research on haemoglobin genes supervised by Alex E. Felice. His thesis was entitled A Novel Mutation in the Human erythroid transcription factor KLF1 as a cause of hereditary persistence of foetal haemoglobin.
His work is focused on the understanding of the transcriptional regulation and control of erythropoiesis, with emphasis on the globin gene switch mechanism. He is known for his research in linking DNA variations in the human KLF1 gene and hereditary persistence of foetal haemoglobin. Subsequent work unveiled the molecular genetics of the HPFH KLF1-related condition (613566) and established KLF1 as a novel quantitative trait locus for HbF (HBFQTL6). His research group is currently working in understanding the molecular mechanisms and gene control of developmental γ to β globin gene switching that occur during the shift of erythropoiesis from human foetal liver and spleen to the adult bone marrow.
Borg was awarded a Malta Government Scholarship, and later awarded both a short- and long- term EMBO fellowship to work at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, on experimental haematology and control of erythropoiesis. He later worked in the accession of Malta as a member state into the European Molecular Biology Conference, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory. and served as a Maltese scientific delegate on both EMBC and EMBL councils.
