Pathway Journey
Rotation 1: Understanding interactions between antipsychotic drugs and glucose at the blood-brain barrier: focus on the GLUT1 transporter
Rotation 2: Investigating neuronal migration disorders using iPSC and human tissue models
Rotation 3: The role of mitochondrial function and transport in synaptic integrity and ageing
PhD project: Synaptic cargo trafficking and synaptic integrity during ageing: the effect of reduced mitochondrial transport and function: Mitochondrial function and transport are known to decrease during ageing, and I am interested in how this deterioration affects synapses. I study synapses using in vivo (Drosophila melanogaster) and in vitro models. These models allow me to characterise the integrity of synaptic networks and the trafficking of synaptic cargo, which may provide readouts of synapse health following mitochondrial modulation. Key techniques I use during my PhD include optical clearing, live-cell imaging using confocal microscopy, and behavioural assays.
Biography
I am currently a Neuroscience PhD student on the MRC DTP. I graduated from the University of Oxford with an undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology in 2017. I then studied MSc Neuroscience at King’s College London, graduating in 2018. My MSc research project was with Dr. Sandrine Thuret, using induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate the effects of cellular stress on neurogenesis. I also spent nearly 2 years working as a Research Assistant at the Oxford Drug Discovery institute, developing assays for Parkinson’s disease drug discovery. Outside of my PhD, I work with the Innovation Forum, which is an international network of investors, academics and industrial scientists who aim to drive innovation within the healthcare and life-sciences space.
I chose the MRC DTP at King’s College London because of its focus on multidisciplinary research and KCL’s reputation for excellence in neuroscience. The DTP’s 1+3 structure allowed me to try out several projects before deciding on my final PhD project, which really helped me to make a well-informed decision.
Awards
British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Scholarship, 2021
Wadham College Part I and II Final Examination Awards, 2016 and 2017
Conferences
Ethlyn Lloyd-Morris, George Chennell, Deepak Srivastava, Alessio Vagnoni: ‘Optimisation of protocols to study synaptic integrity during Drosophila ageing’ Poster presented at the FENS Forum 2022 Conference; July 2022; Paris, France.