ApconiX Sponsors Awards at the University of Liverpool Pharmacology PGR Seminar Day
The University of Liverpool Pharmacology PGR Seminar Day was held on Thursday February 13th this year and ApconiX was delighted again to sponsor the awards given to the Ph.D. students who gave the best basic science and clinical presentations.
Dr Sean Hammond, Hannah Jennings and Sophia Tomlinson joined the 50 or so Ph.D. students and academic staff from the Department of Pharmacology. About 25 2nd and 3rd year students gave presentations on their research to date.
Sean commented, “It is a great pleasure to support and be involved in such an excellent science day. This is effectively a conference “at home” which supports student development and permits open, collaborative scientific discussions. Thanks to all involved who made it a great day.”
Dr Laura Randle, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology added, “Thank you to ApconiX for your continued support of our PGR seminar day. The event provides an authentic experience for students to develop and practice their presentation skills. It was also a lovely opportunity for the department to come together, network and hear about the amazing and varied research that our PGRs are conducting.”
Maria-Dannae Jessel won the award for the best basic science presentation.
Maria’s project title is “Manipulating cholangiocarcinoma immune phenotype in a patient derived precision-cut tumour model to improve immune checkpoint inhibition response”
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive cancer with limited treatment options, and current immunotherapies, such as immune-checkpoint blockade, only benefit a small number of patients. One major challenge is that many CCA tumours create an immunosuppressive or “cold” tumour microenvironment, preventing the immune system from effectively attacking the cancer. My research focuses on using human patient-derived precision-cut tumour slices as a model to investigate strategies for converting immune “cold” CCA tumours—characterized by low cytotoxic T-cell infiltration and a predominance of immunosuppressive cell types—into immune “hot” tumours that are more responsive to immunotherapy. By targeting various immunosuppressive cell types, testing novel combination treatments, and identifying biomarkers that predict therapy response, this work could help improve treatment strategies for CCA patients. Additionally, this model provides a more human-relevant alternative to the use of animal models, potentially advancing immuno-oncology research in a more ethical and effective way.
Liz Challenger won the award for the best clinical presentation.
Liz explained, “My research is focused on infectious disease pharmacology, and during my PhD I have been investigating the pharmacokinetics of a drug called favipiravir for the treatment of severe COVID-19. As with many infectious diseases the continued emergence of new variants means that it is still possible for more severe strains of COVID-19 to emerge, which could cause severe health problems amongst the general population, particularly with changes to vaccination programmes and resistance to vaccine up-take. Of particular concern is the potential emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant that is resistant to current treatments such as molnupiravir or Paxlovid, making it crucial to try and maximise other treatment options, in the event that this occurs. Favipiravir is more commonly administered in tablet form, which can lead to a high pill burden for individuals on the treatment, as the oral dose is provided in 200mg tablets. My work has aimed to analyse the benefits of favipiravir as a treatment for COVID-19 and overcome this pill burden by investigating the pharmacokinetics of a novel intravenous formulation of favipiravir and of the active intracellular metabolite, favipiravir triphosphate which had previously not been reported in human trials. Furthermore, I have assessed the utility of novel plasma filtration cards for quantifying both favipiravir and its triphosphate. These cards would be beneficial when considering favipiravir as a treatment for other infections, particularly high consequence infectious diseases as they offer simplified workflows for use in field settings and lower biohazard risk compared to conventional sampling methods.”
Professor of Pharmacology, Dean Naisbitt commented, “It has been another great iteration of the Pharmacology PGR Seminar day. This day is an important part of the Liverpool doctoral training programme; by participating in the event the students develop their communicative skills and the feedback they receive from both senior staff and their own peers is great. Special thanks to the Radisson Blu for hosting the event.”
Thoroughly enjoying the day Hannah and Sophia caught up with Bethan Kelly, a previous placement student in our ion channel laboratory, who is now carrying out research for her Ph.D. at the Department.
Sophia Tomlinson enjoyed her first time attending the meeting saying, “I had a fantastic day! I loved getting an insight into what is involved in a Ph.D. and speaking to students about their experiences.”
Hannah Jennings added, “I was delighted to attend the University of Liverpool Pharmacology PGR day for the 3rd year running. They day showcased some brilliant talks and groundbreaking research, with each student presenting the work that they have carried out so far during their PhD projects. The presentations were engaging and inspiring, and I would like to thank each and every speaker for taking part in the day. Another fantastic year for Liverpool’s Pharmacology Department, I look forward to the next one.”
