Harry Collier (BBSRC)
Started October 2021
Supervised by Professor Sonia Rocha and Professor Claire Eyers
Pre PhD:
I completed my integrated master's (MBiolSci) studies at the University of Liverpool in 2020. My undergraduate project involved the study of novel myoglobin transcriptional variants in mouse brain tissue. It is during this project I was enlightened to the importance of hypoxia across various key and pathological processes, most notably its behaviour in cancer. I was then fortunate enough to work at the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand during which I studied a treatment that could potentially reverse replicative senescence. I then moved on to my Master's year where I investigated how the post-translational modification status of HIF-2α affects its ability to induce gene expression. This project piqued my interest in HIF and hypoxia whilst allowing me to gain a great deal of understanding of the functions of HIF in the context of its post-translational modifications.
Current project:
My PhD project will investigate the physiological significance of a relatively unstudied protein called SINHCAF, and how this SINHCAF functionally interacts with HIF and NF-kappaB pathways. In particular, there will be an emphasis on mass spectrometry to examine how the binding partners of SINHCAF affect its function.
Steven Holmes
Started October 2021
Supervised by Dr Edward Emmott and Professor Julian Hiscox
Pre PhD:
I graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2019 with a BSc in Tropical Disease Biology. My undergraduate dissertation explored the role of a protein called Myeloid Nervy, and DEAF1 (MYND) in trypanosomes, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. While carrying out this project I developed a strong interest in the roles of proteins during infection. Following my undergraduate degree, I completed an MSc degree in Tropical Disease Biology at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine where I studied the molecular biology of parasites, viruses and bacteria. With a heavier focus on virology. My dissertation project was a bioinformatics project focused on exploring the role of Diflavin proteins in Tsetse fly species. Here I focused on three proteins in particular Nitric oxide synthase and NADPH-dependent diflavin oxidoreductase 1. After my graduation, I spent 9 months working as an associate practitioner in virology for the NHS. Here, my primary role was to screen frontline staff for SARS-CoV-2 using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP).
Current project:
I am currently carrying out my PhD entitled "Mass-spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of protease activity during SARS-CoV-2 infection". The project will be looking at exploring the viral and host cell proteome for proteolytic cleavage events during SARS-CoV-2 infection using mass spectrometry-based proteomics and SCoPE2.
Olga Tereszkowska-Kaminska (BBSRC NLD DTP)
Started October 2022
Supervised by Professor Claire Eyers, Professor Jonathan Higgins and Professor Andy Jones
Pre-PhD:
I completed my MSci in Chemistry with Biomedicine at King’s College London in 2022, with my Master’s project focusing on the synthesis of N-heterocyclic peptide supramolecular cages for drug/biomolecule transport. My interest in protein research began with a 6-week remote placement at King’s College London in 2020, where I produced a literature report on the interaction partners of the cancer-killing protein Apoptin. However, it was my Master’s thesis combined with a summer laboratory placement at the Hans Knöll Institute in Jena in 2021, where I worked on NRPS engineering and antibiotic design, which led me to discover the exciting area of analytical techniques in biochemistry.
Current Project:
My PhD project title is “Diversifying the histone code: defining the role of non-canonical phosphorylation (NCP) in chromatin structure”. It hopes to redefine the histone code and its regulation by using mass spectrometric methods to identify and characterise PTMs (including NCPs) on chromatin-associated proteins. The interplay between different PTMs as a function of chromatin structure may also be explored as well as the effects of NCPs on enzymatic activity and complex formation.
Sarah Jones (Bruker CASE Studentship)
Started October 2022
Supervised by Professor Claire Eyers, Professor Gary Kruppa and Professor Andy Jones
Pre PhD:
I graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BSc in Biological Sciences in 2021 before beginning an MRes in Biological Sciences and Translational Medicine with a specialism in Neuroscience, also at Liverpool. My research projects in both years focused on the impact of genetic variation in non-coding regions of the genome on the expression of genes linked to neurodegenerative disorders, specifically Parkinson’s and Motor Neuron Disease.
Current project:
My PhD project – “Exploring the interplay of dynamic protein modifications in human (patho)physiology” – aims to develop new standard operating procedures for site-specific identification of post-translational protein modifications using Bruker’s timsTOF technology. Once developed several computational strategies will be employed to predict PTM interplay and regulatory mechanisms.
Jessica Coomber (The Pirbright Institute and UoL)
Started October 2022
Supervised by Dr Ed Emmott and Dr Trevor Sweeney
Pre PhD:
I graduated from the University of Southampton in 2020 with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences and a keen interest in medical microbiology. I then pursued this interest further by completing an MSc in the subject from the University of Manchester. My dissertation project explored the interaction between Sars-CoV-2 spike protein and the blood-brain barrier, thought to lead to dysbiosis in infected individuals. After graduation, I spent a year as a research assistant aiding the development of a q-PCR- based diagnostic assay for contamination in pharmaceutical products.
Current project:
My project is split between the University of Liverpool and The Pirbright Institute. The aim of my work is to identify and characterise novel Zika virus proteolytic cleavage sites in mammalian and insect cells using N-terminomics.
Charlotte Duncan (Industry funded by Pro-lab diagnostics)
Started January 2023
Supervised by Dr Ed Emmott and Dr Anna Smielewska
Background:
Charlotte joined the Emmott lab in Jan 2023, as part of an industry-sponsored part-time PhD supported by Pro-Lab Diagnostics where she is Scientific Director, and in collaboration with Dr Anna Smielewska at Liverpool Clinical Laboratories
Current project:
Next-generation mass spectrometry diagnostics to guide patient management post-SARS-CoV-2 infection
Hannah Ging (Funding)
Started October 2023
Supervised by Dr Andrew Chetwynd, Professor Claire Eyers and Dr Louise Oni
Pre PhD:
I graduated from Lancaster University in 2023 with an MSci in Biochemistry. My Master’s project focused on electrically stimulating drug release (CBD) from polymer films to target Glioblastoma and Jurkat cells. My primary interests revolve around the use of chemical techniques to explore biological phenomena.
Current project:
My PhD project is titled ‘Proteomics based dried blood spot analysis in paediatric and adult kidney disease’. This aims to optimise the workflow and assess the efficacy of proteomic analysis of dried biofluid samples, for chronic kidney disease patients. This is primarily focused on dried blood spots but also includes dried samples of urine, saliva and tears. The overall purpose of this project is to evaluate remote micro-sampling for clinical and scientific use.
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