Nefeli Boni-Kazantzidou (North West Cancer Research)
Started October 2019
Supervised by Professor Claire Eyers and Professor Patrick Eyers
Pre PhD:
I completed my undergraduate studies in Chemistry in 2016 and became interested in using analytical techniques to study biological questions. My undergraduate research thesis involved the investigation of the role of human apoliproprotein E mutants in the development of lipoprotein glomerulopathy. In 2018 I completed an MSc in Molecular Biomedicine at the University of Athens Medical School/BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, undertaking two research rotations and a master’s thesis project titled “Studying the importance of a novel nuclear RNP (ribonucleoprotein complex) for tumour development and progression”.
Current project:
My PhD project combines my interest in cancer biology and signalling biochemistry with my passion for mass spectrometry. My project title is “Cancer Proteomics: Deciphering the cellular targets of clinical protein kinase inhibitors”. I will be using proteomics and phospho-proteomics techniques to hopefully shed some light on the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer, utilising mass spectrometry to study the complex interactions that drive cancer adaptation.
Allen Po (University of Liverpool)
Started February 2020
Supervised by Professor Claire Eyers, Professor Patrick Eyers and Professor Andy Jones.
Pre PhD:
I graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2019 with a BSc in Biochemistry/Chemistry and a minor in general biology. During my undergraduate studies, I was fortunate enough to work in the lab of Dr Elizabeth Komives for two years, where I worked on NF-κB with a postdoc in our lab Dominic Narang. Our work focused on NF-κB binding partners and specifically, how the full-length protein-bound to different known κB DNA sequences. While working on this project, I learned the basics surrounding protein purification and how HDX-MS experiments can be used to lend insight into molecular and structural dynamics.
Current project:
My project will be focused on top-down proteomics, with an emphasis on studying post-translational modifications tyrosine sulfation and non-canonical phosphorylation. Along with using proteomics and phosphor-proteomics workflows to study these modifications in a variety of systems, I will also be interested in looking into the analysis of complex datasets.
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.
Charlotte Duncan (Industry funded by Pro-lab diagnostics)
Started January 2023
Supervised by Dr Ed Emmott, Dr Anna Smielewska and Dr Paul McNamara
Background:
Charlie is the scientific Director of Pro-lab diagnostics who has funded her PhD in a Part-time role.
Current project:
Charlie's PhD is on developing LC-MS-based viral diagnostics, her research interests are (Viral) Diagnostics, Clinical Proteomics
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