About me
In 2022 I graduated from Newcastle University with a first class degree in Biomedical Science. Within my degree, I investigated potential therapies for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. I then stayed on at Newcastle to complete a Masters of Research in Cancer. This incorporated a 6 month lab-based project investigating Neuroblastoma and its potential therapies. Throughout my undergrad and masters I was always intrigued by cancer progression and its treatment, therefore, my change in research direction may come as a surprise. However, my current PhD project sparked my curiosity in other ways. Not only have I ventured into a different scientific field; focusing on membrane trafficking and SNARE proteins, but I have also had the opportunity to investigate botulinum neurotoxins themselves and start to characterise and unravel their potential clinical benefits.
My Project
Constitutive secretion delivers newly synthesised proteins to the cell surface and extracellular space. Given that various physiologically significant molecules such as antibodies, cytokines and extracellular matrix components rely on this pathway, it is no surprise that changes in secretion are associated with various diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and inflammatory disorders. Membrane fusion is a key step in intracellular transport, allowing delivery of proteins to their target location. SNARE (Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptors) proteins drive this fusion step and therefore are crucial for protein secretion. However, it remains unclear which SNAREs mediate the fusion of constitutive secretory vesicles with the cell surface. To address this, the Peden lab has developed a novel genetic reconstitution assay based on the Botulinum toxin, BoNT/X, and the re-expression of SNARE proteins which can not be cleaved by the toxin. This approach identified that VAMPs 2, 3 and Ykt6 are involved in this process and that Ykt6 specifically can fully rescue the phenotype induced by BoNT/X and is essential for cell viability possibly through an unexpected role in cell division. Therefore, the aim of this project is to elucidate the specific roles and interactors of Ykt6 throughout various membrane trafficking pathways and cellular processes.