We have had the honour to work alongside these great minds…
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I worked in the Perriman Group from September 2014 – March 2018. My PhD, entitled 'Constructs for the detoxification of organophosphorous compounds', involved developing the first artificial membrane-binding enzymes. Using OpdA, an OP-degrading enzyme that evolved in soil bacteria, I was able to generate enzymatically-active constructs that spontaneously bound to cell membranes. I now work for CytoSeek, a spin-out from the Perriman group that is commercialising artificial membrane-binding protein technology to address unmet needs in cell-therapy treatments for cancers. For more information, visit cytoseek.uk.
My project is a dstl industry-sponsored collaboration between the departments of Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering.
The research project focuses on the development of novel composite materials using Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) fibres for impact energy dissipation and bone tissue engineering applications. This type of natural fibres has shown interesting deformation mechanics and energy dissipating potential under cyclic fatigue loading. We aim to characterize the natural fibres on a multiscale level to gain an understanding of their mechanical properties and use them as design guidelines for the development of novel polymeric composites and assessing their potential in energy dissipation and bone regeneration applications.
As a PhD student in the Perriman Lab I was primarily interested in augmenting the functionality of stem cells without modifying their genomes; particularly focusing on homing to damaged heart tissue following myocardial infarction. I accomplished this by constructing an artificial membrane binding molecule which incorporated a repurposed bacterial adhesion molecule. This novel construct bound to immobilized fibronectin with greater specificity and affinity than a comparable antibody, and demonstrated increased mesenchymal stem cell homing to cardiac tissue in a mouse model. This methodology paved the way for further experiments in the group using similar systems.
After completing my PhD research I joined Professor Perriman’s spin-out company Cytoseek as a founding member and now work towards commercialising the technology developed by myself and others in the academic group
My project which encompassed a wide range of interdisciplinary topics, including scaffold design for tissue engineering, the culture of disease models for kidney fibrosis, and 3D bioprinting of cells. Successfully graduated in 2017 and am now working as a Science Policy advisor in Westminster