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Summer Newcastle University Chemical Biology Workshop

On Friday 1st July 2022 we hosted the second Chemical biology workshop at Newcastle University Groups from across the faculty of medicine science and the school of natural and environment science presented a quick synopsis of their research with the aim to spark ideas for collaboration and more awareness of the diverse Chem Bio research happening at Newcastle University. Ten academics delivered flash presentations on diverse areas of research (see below). The talks were followed by a poster session where our early career researchers showcased their work and networked with colleagues from across the university. Exploring mechanisms of kinase inhibitor resistance in MYC driven lymphoma, Neil Perkins, FMS Understanding protein… Read More »Summer Newcastle University Chemical Biology Workshop

Congratulations Grace!!

  Many congratulations to group member Grace Roper and her husband Cameron Taylor (a medicinal chemist!) on their wedding!  Thanks for inviting us to share your day. We wish these two wonderfully talented scientists all the best!

Chiara selected to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting!

We are delighted to announce that Chiara Maniaci has been selected to attend the prestigious 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in June. Chiara will join a cohort of 611 of the most qualified young scientists from 91 countries after a rigorous selection process.  She was nominated by the Royal Society and assessed on academic ability, motivation, and extra-curricular activities in a multi-stage process. The meeting will take place in Lindau, Germany from 26 June – 1 July, the participants will be able to meet each other and around 30 Nobel Laureates in person.  The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings foster the exchange among scientists of different generations, cultures, and disciplines. Chiara… Read More »Chiara selected to attend the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting!

Chemical Biology Workshop

On Tuesday 15th March we hosted a Chemical biology workshop at Newcastle University, involving academics across the faculty of medicine science and the school of natural and environment science.  Ten academics delivered flash presentations on diverse areas of research (see below).  A great way to get the group talking and learning about the chemical biology research going on across the university.   Engineered protein polymers for high performance, multi-functional biomaterials Daniel Peters and David A Fulton Structure guided drug discovery for loss-of-function diseases Wyatt Yue (Cyclic) peptide discovery platform Akane Kawamura In vivo Non-invasive Small Animal Molecular Imaging Services Saimir Luli Mass spectrometry tools in drug discovery Matthias Trost Biocatalysts… Read More »Chemical Biology Workshop

Collaboration with NovoNordisk

Delighted to share the first publication of our collaboration with Martin Munzel and colleagues at NovoNordisk ‘An integrated platform approach enables discovery of potent, selective and ligand-competitive cyclic peptides targeting the GIP receptor‘. Thanks to all involved: Bhaskar Bhushan, Daniele Granata, Christian S. Kaas, Marina A. Kasimova, Qiansheng Ren, Christian N. Cramer,  Mark D. White, Ann Maria K. Hansen,Christian Fledelius, Gaetano Invernizzi,Kristine Deibler, Oliver D. Coleman, Xin Zhao, Xinping Qu, Haimo Liu, Silvana S. Zurmühl,b Janos T. Kodra, Akane Kawamura and Martin Münzel The work was supported by a NovoNordisk STAR postdoc fellowship and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. Read… Read More »Collaboration with NovoNordisk

Celebrating International Womens Day

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the successes of women in our group and appreciate all the supportive allies we have. The theme for the IWD 2022 campaign is #BreakTheBias and we encourage everyone to celebrate women’s accomplishments, raise awareness about bias, and take action to achieve gender equality.  We can proactively take the steps, however small, to call out bias, even when it comes from people who are close to us, and question the stereotypes that still hold us back.  Unfortunately we still live in a world yet free from inequality, bias, stereotypes and discrimination.  In many places women are still excluded from forms of decision making… Read More »Celebrating International Womens Day

Novo Nordisk Collaborator Visit

This week the Kawamura group was thrilled to host Dr Martin Münzel, scientific director in research chemistry at Novo Nordisk. Martin is a long-time collaborator with the group and gave a fascinating talk on the use of mRNA display in drug discovery workflows as well as engaging in some stimulating conversations about peptide chemistry. Martin is also a MosMed CDT industrial supervisor to group member Tom Smith. We’d love to have you back anytime, Martin!  

Great North Museum Science Fair

The Kawamura Group had a great day at the Great North Museum (GNM) Family Outreach Science Fair on 24th February 2022. The fair was part of the series of events to mark 150 years of Science, Agriculture and Engineering at Newcastle University.  It celebrated the shared history of collaborations between GNM and Newcastle University.  Open to the general public as part of GNM’s half-term programme, it involved a series of different activities showcasing research from across the faculty. It was a fantastic opportunity to share our research and to engage the next generation of scientists. It was also a great opportunity for the PGRs in the group to gain some… Read More »Great North Museum Science Fair

Kawamura Group 2021 Highlights

2021 has continued to be challenging for all of us, however the group has continued to progress and we have much to celebrate. The much anticipated Kawamura group Winter Symposium took place at last on 16th Feb 2022.  We reflected on two years since the group celebrated official handover of the Chemical biology labs (Feb 2020).  In this time we have more than doubled the footprint of the group, forged ahead with equipment purchases and set-up the synthesis/cold room space.  Thanks to all the hard work of the group! At the symposium we had a fantastic overview from the team showcasing all the diverse and exciting research happening across the… Read More »Kawamura Group 2021 Highlights

Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science we are proud to celebrate the achievements of the intelligent, hard-working and passionate women in our group.  We have welcomed several new female scientists to the team including PhD students; Filomena Saulino (Oct 2020), Emma Wadforth (Oct 2021), Oliwia Rebacz (Oct 2021), and masters students (Jan 2022); Valeria Cobiltean, Hannah Hamilton. PDRA  Marie-Helene Ruchaud joined the team in September 2021, she is currently developing quantitative cellular assays to investigate inhibitors of SARS-Cov2. Chiara Maniaci was awarded a prestigious BBSRC Discovery fellowship in February 2020 and continues to make great progress with her research. Joanna Bonnici returned to the group in June… Read More »Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science