Pathway Journey
1. The role of Collectin-11 and the Lectin Complement Pathway in COVID-19 infection
2. SNALP-mediated delivery of the cell-cycle inhibitory molecule miR-199a-3p for stimulation of cardiomyocyte proliferation
3. Establishing a pipeline for the validation of T-cell activation against cognate antigens
Biography
I obtained a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Reading, before going on to do an MSc in Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology at Imperial College London. In between my degrees I had the opportunity to work as an intern performing cancer research where I investigated proteomic differences in hepatocellular carcinoma and a research consultant at the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, investigating diagnostic cut-offs of febrile illnesses. I have additionally spent time as a customer relationship manager at a cancer treatment clinic. Here, I got to witness first-hand the necessity for scientific advancements.
I decided to join the MRC DTP because of the opportunity and flexibility it provides for all their students to choose a project of their choice, one that they are passionate about. Having had little bits and pieces of experience in different areas, I decided to do a rotation year. This allowed me to build a stronger scientific foundation and grasp core techniques whilst finding a research group and topic that fit me best. I also really like the opportunities we get throughout the program, one example being to organise the DTP Symposium. Lastly, the location being London is a big plus!!
Publications
Blacksell, S.D., Kingston, H.W.F., Tanganuchitcharnchai, A., Phanichkrivalkosil, M., Hossain, M., Hossain, A., Ghose, A., Leopold, S.J., Dondorp, A.M., Day, N.P.J. and Paris, D.H. (2018). Diagnostic accuracy of the InBios Scrub Typhus Detect ELISA for the detection of IgM antibodies in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Tropical medicine and infectious disease, 3(3), p.95.
Saraswati, K., Phanichkrivalkosil, M., Day, N.P.J., Blacksell, S.D. (2019). The validity of diagnostic cut-offs for commercial and in-house scrub typhus IgM and IgG ELISAs: A review of the evidence. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 13(2).
Phanichkrivalkosil, M., Tanganuchitcharnchai, A., Jintaworn, S., Kantipong, P., Laongnualpanich, A., Chierakul, W., Paris, D.H., Richards, A.L., Wangrangsimakul, T., Day, N.P.J. and Blacksell, S.D. (2019). Determination of Optimal Diagnostic Cut-Offs for the Naval Medical Research Center Scrub Typhus IgM ELISA in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Am J Trop Med Hyg, 100(5).