Prof Akane Kawamura travelled down under in October 2023 to talk about peptide probes for studying epigenetic proteins at the 13th International Peptide Symposium in Brisbane Australia. A special thanks to the organisers for this great opportunity to meet with peptide and protein chemists, old friends and collaborators, and many new faces.
Written by Molly: I have had such an amazing and worthwhile experience at the Kawamura Research group. Not only has this opportunity allowed me to engage in lab work to a degree far beyond what can be offered at an undergraduate level, but it has also given me insight into what a potential career in research could look like. From logic to creativity to problem solving – it has been so inspirational being surrounded by such friendly people who appear so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about science. I have learnt far more than I could have anticipated and I’m sure that the skills and knowledge that I have acquired during my… Read More »Molly’s Summer Studentship 2023
Written by Maia: I carried out my MChem research and a summer studentship in the Kawamura Research Group which was the best experience it could’ve been. I am so grateful for the opportunity as it not only allowed me to develop a variety of lab skills but also provided valuable insights into the dynamics of a research career. The whole team were so friendly and insightful in both their own and my research which was not only incredibly inspiring but made for such a supportive working environment. I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside everyone! My research centred around the utilisation of cyclic peptides as fluorescent chemical probes to be used in… Read More »Maia’s Summer Studentship
Written by: Siddique Amin. Last month, a group of PhD researchers from the MoSMed CDT put together an exciting event called “Marvellous Molecules and Medicine.” Held at the Newcastle Centre for Life, this science outreach event brought together families and individuals eager to explore the wonders of science. Among the team of researchers was Siddique, Tom, and Emma from the Kawamura group, who had a blast being a part of it. The event was all about hands-on learning and interactive experiments. The MoSMed researchers engaged with visitors as they journeyed through the museum. They made science come alive by showing families the fascinating world of bacteria and the importance… Read More »Exploring Science with Families at the Centre for Life
In June 2023, Joanna Bonnici and Harriet Stanway-Gordon – two of our Post Doctoral Research Associates – returned to work after maternity leave. The team is excited to have them back, and looking forward to plenty of baby photos and supporting them in balancing work and home life as parents. Joanna: “I’m excited to return to work to face new challenges that don’t involve changing nappies or deciphering the meaning behind my baby’s cries.” Harriet: “Can’t believe I’m heading back to work already – feels like only yesterday Ziggy arrived! Looking forward to getting back to some semblance of normality (although I am going to miss spending most of… Read More »Joanna & Harriet Return from Maternity Leave
On 16th and 17th May, it was once again time for the Molecular Sciences for Medicine (MoSMed) CDT annual conference. The Newcastle and Durham University students descended on St James’ Park for these two days; each year, this is a great opportunity to catch up with the rest of the cohort from both universities as well as learn about the innovative science going on in the programme. Our second year PhD students Emma and Tom presented posters showcasing their research, whilst third year PhD student Siddique gave a presentation followed by a Q&A session. The conference was also an opportunity for our early career researchers to network with industry partners,… Read More »MoSMed Conference 2023
After months of hard work Maddy Sayers and Maia Evans have successfully completed their MChem thesis and viva in the Kawamura Group. Their work has involved investigating different roles and uses for cyclic peptides as chemical probes working with PhD students Siddique and Emma. Congratulations and well done on all your hard work, it has been a joy to work with you! We are looking forward to seeing where you go next.
On Monday 13 February Grace defended her DPhil thesis. She wrote a blog all about the challenges and celebrations of her PhD journey. I began my PhD in Oxford as an Oxford-GSK-Crick Chemical Biology CDT student, with 9 months training in chemical biology through taught courses and two 12-week lab placements. The lab placements were particularly helpful for broadening my skill set, allowing me to try two completely different projects. For one project I spent time at GSK working on photoreactive cyclic peptide probes, and for the other I was studying the effect of tissue stiffness on (myo)fibroblast biology using immortal and primary cell lines. I chose to work in… Read More »Grace successfully defends her DPhil thesis!
Written by: Tom Smith. From October to December 2022, I had the privilege of visiting the R&D site of Novo Nordisk in Denmark as part of the Kawamura Group’s ongoing collaboration with this pharmaceutical company. It was incredible to experience the cutting-edge science going on there; the company specialises in treating diabetes as well as a variety of other chronic illnesses, and the wealth of expertise they have onsite in peptide chemistry and many other areas was fantastic to be part of. During my placement I was able to undertake various projects including massively parallel peptide synthesis, high throughput screening assays, and DNA library sequencing analysis. As well as improving… Read More »Tom Visits Novo Nordisk in Denmark
12th-13th January 2023 Grace presented her DPhil work at the 3rd PSL Chemical Biology Symposium in Paris, her poster summarised key results from her DPhil on the development of macrocyclic peptides as multifunctional probes. Thanks to Oxford Chemistry Department for providing funding.