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EPSRC

Welcome to the group Eleanor!

A very warm welcome to Dr Eleanor Taylor-Newman to the Kawamura Research Group, where she joins as an EPSRC Postdoctoral Pathway Fellowship.  Eleanor graduated with an MChem degree from the University of Leicester , including a placement year at AstraZeneca and a research project with Dr Richard Doveston. She then worked as a peptide scientist at Almac Sciences before beginning her PhD in 2021 at Durham University through the MoSMed CDT programme, under the supervision of Prof. Steven Cobb and in collaboration with Dr Graham Taylor (University of Birmingham). Her doctoral research focused on the synthesis and evaluation of ligands and PROTACs targeting Epstein–Barr Nuclear Antigen 1.  In the Kawamura Group, Eleanor will be applying mRNA display to identify peptide binders against target RNA. Welcome to… Read More »Welcome to the group Eleanor!

Tom Smith Completes His PhD Viva

We’re thrilled to share the fantastic news that Dr Tom Smith has successfully completed his PhD viva! This achievement marks the culmination of years of dedication, perseverance, and hard work in the field of Chemical Biology.  Tom’s PhD involved a collaboration with Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company based in Denmark, which resulted in a published paper in RSC Chemical Biology.  A huge thank you to Tom’s examiners, Dr Tom McAllister (Newcastle University) and Dr Scott Lovell (University of Bath) for their time.   Congratulations Tom! 

Tom and Tim’s Next Chapter in Chemical Biology

We’re thrilled that Tom Smith and Tim Bell will be continuing their journey with us as Postdoctoral Research Associates working on cyclic peptide discover technology, following the end of the PhD Studies!  Over the last several years, Tom and Tim have been integral to our team – not only through their contributions to chemical biology research but also through the energy and enthusiasm they bring to our group culture. Their leadership in team-building activities, including last year’s Chemical Biology Christmas Symposium, has helped create a collaborative and vibrant environment that we’re proud of.  Here’s to more exciting research and many more moments of teamwork and celebration! 

MoSMed CDT Conference 2025

In April, our team members attended the annual MoSMed CDT Conference at Durham University, an event funded by EPSRC that brings together doctoral students to discuss and explore molecular science for medicine.  The conference was a vibrant showcase of cutting-edge research, featuring project presentations, flash talks from PhD students, and keynote sessions from leading experts. We’re especially proud of Keir Pebody,  who earned Runner-up Best Flash Talk – a fantastic recognition of his work and presentation skills.   It was also a great opportunity to see Siddique Amin, a former PhD student from the Kawamura Research Group, now mentoring Keir as his supervisor at AstraZeneca.   Looking forward to what MoSMed 2026… Read More »MoSMed CDT Conference 2025

Attending the RICT2024 in Bordeaux

Akane Kawamura, Siddique Amin and Filomena Saulino attended the RICT2024 (the 58th International Conference on Medicinal Chemistry) held in Bordeaux this July – a conference focused on the intersection of chemical biology and drug discovery.  Akane Kawamura gave a talk on cyclic peptides as chemical tools to probe biology, and our PhD Students presented their posters relating to work on cyclic peptides (Siddique), and inhibitor development against epigenetic reader domains (Filomena).   The event was a fantastic experience, with plenty of discussions with other medicinal chemists and chemical biologists from around the globe.