0+4 iCASE Student
I graduated from King’s College London with an MSc in Neuroscience, during my degree I specialised in Neural Stem Cells and Nervous system repair, and my research project focused on characterising a novel rat model of alpha-synuclein spread in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia. After finishing my Master’s I was very eager to get more lab experience, so I undertook a position as a Research Assistant at the Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, exploring the mechanisms of toxicity of dipeptide repeat proteins in C9orf72-mediated cases of ALS and FTD, and how these relate to the disruption of ER-mitochondria signalling observed in both diseases.
My project is an MRC DTP iCASE one, and is aimed at identifying psoriasis-driven biomarkers for metabolic disease. The project is different to my research experience thus far, however, I was immediately drawn to it, due to it being incredibly multifaceted. The existing association between psoriasis, a skin condition, and type 2 diabetes, a multi-organ disease, is fascinating, and it clearly indicates that an ongoing interconnection between different tissues and organs is at play, suggesting that pathologies should not be looked at separately, but rather as part of the whole physiology. I chose this particular programme as I like the fact that it offers a variety of workshops to choose from, along with doing my PhD. I also I think working with an industry partner would be a great opportunity to develop a wide set of business skills, which would complement my academic knowledge and technical expertise very well.
Keratify – https://www.keratify.com/ .