About me
Before diving into my PhD, I completed my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at the University of York. I enjoyed that the course focused on multidisciplinary research and focused on topics relating to drug discovery, from medicinal chemistry to immunology. In these modules, my interest was sparked in various biological therapeutics (including mRNA therapeutics). During my degree, I had the opportunity to complete a sandwich year in industry at Charles River Laboratories. Working in the Biology Department, I gained hands-on experience with various biochemical and cellular assays to assess potential drug candidate potencies and safety.
Alongside project work, I flexibly worked in the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetic department, where I gained experience running drug distribution and metabolism assays with an LC-Mass Spectrometry output. This confirmed to me that I am excited and thrive best when working in a laboratory environment whilst fuelling my curiosity into the different stages of drug development further.
For my final year research project, I went for a protein-orientated route, investigating the production of soluble ectodomain protein from large membrane proteins. This project allowed me to gain some additional skills and a perspective in an academic research environment. My current PhD project in Prof Mark Dickman’s lab combines previous experiences and my personal interests in biological therapeutics well with the opportunity to delve into new techniques. The various backgrounds within the lab also allow for new ideas and connections to be made.
My Project
mRNA therapeutics and vaccines represent a rapidly evolving field in drug development, offering therapeutic potential against a variety of novel and previously ‘undruggable’ targets. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact of mRNA therapeutics. The swift development of two mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 played a cruical role in saving lives worldwide. Since the pandemic, numerous mRNA therapeutics aimed at treating cancer and infectious diseases have entered preclinical and clinical trials. During the enzymatic production of mRNA therapeutics, impurities and alterations in the seqeunce can occur. Therefore, it is essential to monitor key quality attributes.
One such attribute is the identity of the mRNA which ensures that the synthesized mRNA has the correct expected therapeutic sequence. Due to the size and complexity of the mRNA, mapping the sequence of the mRNA therapeutic can be diffuicult with analytical techniques such as HPLC and mass spectrometry (MS) without prior digestion. Currently there are only a couple of RNA restriction enzymes that can effectivly cleave mRNA, making it difficult to achieve comprehensive sequence coverage.
My project focuses on investigating new potential RNA restriction enzymes with unique cleavage sites that can facilitate the mapping of mRNA therapeutics using LC-MS. Throughout my PhD, I will explore the expression and purification of RNA restriction enzymes, identify new RNA cleavage sites, and explore analytical techniques to utilize these new enzymes for characterizing the identity of mRNA.