Emma Magavern
When did your Fellowship start and how long will it last?
I started my Fellowship in March 2025, and it will last five years.
What were you doing prior to your Fellowship?
Before my MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship, I was an NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology.
Why did you choose this Fellowship Programme?
I chose this Fellowship Programme for the opportunity to bridge academia and industry and expand my horizons by learning from colleagues across interdisciplinary silos within drug development.
What is the aim of your research?
People can respond differently to the same medicine. Some might not get the intended benefit, while others might suffer from side effects. We know that one reason for these different responses can be genetic variation between people.
Normal variations in DNA that can affect medication response can be much more common in some ethnic groups than others. Yet our therapeutic trial data, which informs how safe and effective medicines are, is based on mostly European ancestry research participants. This may lead to disparities in response to pharmacotherapy and worsen health inequality.
Hammersmith Medicines Research (HMR) conducts detailed assessments of how individuals respond to new medications, ensuring their safety and efficacy. Working with Hammersmith Medicines Research (HMR)/ Trio Medicines Ltd., specialists in early-phase clinical trials and drug development, we will perform genetic and protein testing on trial participants, identifying correlations between DNA variants, protein levels, and responses to the medications being tested.
A key focus will be enhancing diversity in clinical trials through engagement to increase participation from non-Caucasian individuals. We plan to return limited genetic test results related to medicine response, working with participants to determine the most useful format for this feedback, so it may benefit them in the future if they are prescribed medications known to elicit variable responses based on DNA variants.
The goal is to use genetic tools to target health inequalities in medication response, to improve ethnic diversity in clinical trial data and to improve our understanding of how genetic variants impact medication response so we can improve existing medicines and make new life-improving medicines.
What inspired you to look at this field?
I completed a BA in English before my MD and subsequent MScs in Bioethics and Genomics. Through training in clinical medicine, humanities, genetics, and pharmacology, I have developed an interest in the scientific merits, clinical potential and implementation challenges of pharmacogenomics. As a clinician, I see the amount of polypharmacy and hear regularly from patients that they feel that a medication is not working for them or is giving them a side effect. I also know that many of the patients I prescribe for are not represented in the clinical trials that underpin the licensure for the safety and effectiveness of medication. My main focus is on leveraging genomic medicine to reduce existing health inequalities.
Which industry partner are you working with and how will they support you in achieving your goals? What will your partner gain from working with you?
I am working with Hammersmith Medicines Research, a large Clinical Research Organisation specialising in early phase clinical trials. They have extensive expertise in detailed characterisation of clinical trial participants response to new medications in controlled settings. I will work with them to integrate multi-omic characterisation into drug development during early phase clinical trials.
Why did you choose Queen Mary University of London as your HEI partner?
I have been affiliated with QMUL as an Academic Clinical Trainee in Clinical Pharmacology since 2018. I first undertook an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship, and subsequently completed my PhD and then an NIH Academic Clinical Lectureship with the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Precision Medicine at the William Harvey Research Institute. QMUL has been a wonderful academic home for me and supported me with the Centre’s expertise in Cardiovascular Medicine and Genomics research.
What do you plan to do when you have completed your Fellowship?
When I complete my Fellowship, I intend to continue as a clinical academic, progressing in my university appointment, growing my research team with further external grant funding to continue my pharmacogenomics work, and to work as an honorary consultant in the NHS, bridging pharmacogenomics implemention.