Non-clinical PhD students

 

Maja

Maja Bronowska

Project title - Resolving the isoform-specific signalling of RSK1 and RSK4 in lung and breast cancer through combined molecular biology and artificial intelligence

What were you doing before you joined the CSC Programme?

I studied BSc Cancer Biomedicine at UCL (2019-22) and, then, I completed MRes degree in Cancer Biology at Imperial College London (2022-23)

 

What inspired you to choose this project?

My Master’s project was related to cell signalling in lung cancer. I find it fascinating how cells interact with each other on protein-protein level. Taking that research to computational level makes me step outside of my comfort zone. This project allows me to deepen my knowledge and challenge myself.

 

Interesting fact about yourself

I’m a triplet!

 

 

Lucy

Lucy Dan

Project title - Developing novel p21-disrupting peptides to prevent quiescence and resistance to chemotherapy

What were you doing before you joined the CSC Programme?

I received my BSc in Biological Sciences at Durham University. I then completed an MRes in Adam Benham's group at Durham University investigating the role of autophagy in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

 

What inspired you to choose this project?

I am interested in the potential this research has to harness the cell cycle as a promising and upcoming strategy for cancer treatment. Working across the Greber, Barnard and Barr groups has the benefit of exposing me to a variety of different laboratory techniques. I also have the opportunity to meet many incredible scientists across different fields of research!

 

Interesting fact about yourself

Before starting my degree, I worked as a chef in France for a year.

 

 

Jan

Jan Sandler

Project title - Fluorescent nanoparticle arrays for label-free monitoring of immunotherapy for bladder cancer

What were you doing before you joined the CSC Programme?

B.Sc. in Chemistry & Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany [2017-2020]

M.Sc. in Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany [2020-2023] 

 

What inspired you to choose this project?

Because it combines my scientific passions: chemistry, nanomaterials, and biomedical application in form of cancer research.

 

Interesting fact about yourself

I enjoy swimming and playing the violin.

 

Intercalated PhDs

 

Tiondre

Tiondre Brown

Project title - Improving targeted drug delivery to tumours using ultrasound and Acoustic Cluster Therapy: An organ-in-chip approach

What inspired you to choose this project?

The approach for targeted drug delivery was extremely novel to me, and the prospect of researching US seemed very applicable to my career, as well as seeming vastly interesting.

 

ACT is already being studied in clinical trials. This research could lead to directly translatable outcomes for these trials and the wider ACT literature. The prospect of ACT in the clinic seems extremely high. The organ-in-chip platform could be used in multiple avenues of biomedical research. 

 

Interesting fact about yourself

I was a reserve for Young Masterchef 2022

 

 

Amy

Amy Lovejoy

Project title - Understanding the role of zinc (Zn) in breast cancer progression by combining analytical chemistry and multi-omics techniques

 

 

Amelia

Amelia Fraser-Dale 

Project title - Cellular Precision Head and Neck Surgery by Combination of Microrobotics with Real-Time Optical and Molecular Sensing Technologies

What inspired you to choose this project?

I began my medical degree at St. George’s hospital in 2019, where I quickly developed a special interest in maxillofacial surgery. I transferred to Imperial for an intercalated BSc in Surgical Technology in 2022, which then led into the CSC iPhD program. Head and Neck surgery is the coolest specialty by far, but I also have a soft spot for physics and robotics. The opportunity to combine these disparate interests to develop novel surgical technologies was a dream come true. This project has potential to improve the way we diagnose and treat head and neck cancers, which could be hugely beneficial for patients, as well as facilitating a whole new field of in vivo metabolomic cancer research. It’s the kind of technology I look forward to using in my future surgical career. 


Interesting fact about yourself

I enjoy learning to figure skate in my spare time. It’s harder than it looks and there are a lot of moves to learn! 

 

 

Maxime

Maxime Giot

Project title - Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) Guided Cancer Resection

What inspired you to choose this project?

There are currently no techniques that allow for real-time differentiation of tissue (cancer vs normal) in the operating theatre. This is particularly important as the goal of surgery is to achieve a negative resection margin, whereby no cancer cells are left behind and the tumour is removed wholly. DRS has already proven itself as a great candidate for assessment of the resection margins. My project focuses on validating its use in vivo in patients as well as exploring new applications of the technology, such as introducing it to laparoscopic (keyhole) surgeries. 


Interesting fact about yourself

I enjoy playing the piano during my free time and I love travelling when I get the chance to.

 

 

Elina

Elina Tanskanen

Project title - Tumour-localised mRNA delivery of cytokines using polymer-lipid nanoparticles to achieve safe and efficacious immunotherapy

What inspired you to choose this project?

I chose this project as it allowed me to explore my interests in molecular biology and drug development. mRNA therapeutics is an exciting and rapidly advancing field, and I was keen to investigate its applications in cancer treatment. Cytokine-based immunotherapies show great promise in overcoming resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors, but clinical translation is restricted by dose-limiting toxicities. Improving their safety and efficacy has potential to improve prognosis of many patients with treatment-resistant tumours. 

Interesting fact about yourself

I'm Finnish and love wild camping, despite once enduring over 40 mosquito bites in a single trip

Clinical research fellows

 

Sooha

Sooha Kim

My project involves utilising machine learning to develop personalised radiotherapy treatments that are robust against delineation uncertainties


 

 

Germaine

Germaine Chia

Project title - Bone marrow microenvironment remodelling and innate immune signalling in acute myeloid leukaemia

What inspired you to choose this project?

I am interested in studying how support cells within the bone marrow change in response to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)/chemotherapy so that we can identify patients at risk of poorer outcomes and of equal importance identify better ways to target the leukaemia through facilitating personalised treatment approaches. The long-term hope is that we will be able to identify better treatments to effectively treat the AML/prevent it from coming back while helping patients achieve healthy bone marrow recovery.

Interesting fact about yourself

I was inspired to choose Haematology as a career after completing an intercalated BSc in Haematology during medical school, and haven’t looked back since!

 

 

Ray

Ray Tan

Project title - CAR-T Cell Therapy for Lung Cancer

What inspired you to choose this project?

I chose this project because I have a strong interest in cell therapies and believe they have huge potential to help cancer patients in the future. Furthermore, lung cancer is one of the common cancers for which more

effective therapies are urgently needed. The hope is that this project will eventually pave the way for a potential clinical trial and provide an effective therapy for patients with lung cancer.


Interesting fact about yourself

My birthday (26th Sept) is one of the most common birthdays.

 

 

 

Preethika Mahalingam

Project title - Optimising NK cell therapy for use in high grade serous ovarian carcinoma

 

 

 

Christopher Sng

 

 

 

 

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