Benjamin Tuck Email & Phone Number

Cambridge, Gb

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

I am a CNS biologist at Astex Pharmaceuticals, supporting small molecule structure-based drug discovery across a range of projects. My roles and responsibilities include:- Development of robust cell-based assays to profile compounds in high-throughput formats.- Use of automation technologies to enhance compound profiling throughput and accuracy.- Implementing new technologies.- Expertise in culturing a wide variety of cell types, including patient-derived cells.- Representing Astex and presenting scientific findings at international conferences.- Member of CNS new targets team- Core member of the automation working group and modelling neurodegeneration group.- Coordinating collaborations with external partners and academics (industry/academic consortia).

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

As an Associate at Lucy Cavendish College, I am involved in academic college activities and a regular attendee of social college events.

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

In my Postdoctoral research, I investigated the endolysosomal mechanisms underlying dendritic cell cross-presentation. This project involved the development of a novel cell-based 96-well plate assay which relies on flow cytometry as a readout. During this postdoc I gained significant experience in:• Mouse handling and isolation (PIL AB License Holder)• Naïve CD8+ T-cell purification and culture• Multicolour flow cytometry, compensation and FlowJo analysis• Dendritic cell culture• Protein purification• Assay development I have also contributed to the labs recent paper in Science: Perforin-2 is a pore-forming effector of endocytic escape in cross-presenting dendritic cells (Rodríguez-Silvestre et al, 2023).I was also the lab Green rep for sustainability during my time at the MRC-LMB, and I frequently presented and communicated my research.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

During my PhD, I investigated the mechanisms by which tau assemblies enter the cytosol of cells during neurodegenerative disease. While previous studies suggested that cytosolic entry might be rate-limiting, no assay existed to quantify this in real-time. I developed a cell-based assay to quantify the cytosolic entry of tau in real-time. This assay was applied across mammalian cells, primary neurons, and human iPSC-derived neurons.Key technical skills developed:Assay development in primary cells in 96-well format.Brain dissections and primary cortical/hippocampal neuron culture.Protein purification (affinity and size-exclusion chromatography).Mammalian cell culture and cell line engineering using CRISPR.Cloning (classical and next-gen techniques).High-resolution microscopy (confocal and electron microscopy).High-content imaging.High-yield AAV production and purification.Organotypic hippocampal slice culture.Immunohistochemistry of brain slices.Transferable skills gained:Frequent presentations to diverse audiences, including international oral talks.Critical thinking and project optimisation.Collaboration across multi-disciplinary teams.Complete supervision of a summer student.Paper and grant writing.The assay I developed revealed a critical role of cholesterol in preventing tau assemblies from entering the cytosol. These findings were published in Cell Reports (Tuck et al., 2022), and I was awarded the CSAR PhD Student Award for this work. The assay also contributed to a recent paper in Science (Mukadam et al., 2023) and led to the filing of a patent for which I am a named inventor.

Gateshead And Glasgow

I worked at JD Sports throughout my Undergraduate degree. This enhanced my time management skills as I had to study around work (20 hours per week). I also gained customer-facing sales experience and supervisory experience of new recruits who needed training.

Glasgow, United Kingdom

In my Honours project at the Unibersity of Glasgow, I was interested in the interactions that occur between mesenchymal stem cells and leukemic stem cells within the bone marrow during disease. To investigate this qualitatively, I used fluorescent magnetic nanoparticles to generate Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids using magnets. This project involved:• Suspension of spheroids in Collagen via a Transwell system.• Visualisation of leukemic stem cell invasion by fluorescent microscopy.• Transmission and scanning electron microscopy to visualise interaction.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

-MedImmune is a global biologic development company and part of the Astrazeneca research group. -12 Industrial placement students each year work alongside world-class scientists in state of the art facilities on an individual research project, contributing to MedImmune's robust pipeline.-I used the CRISPR/dCas9-VPR system to transiently increase antibody expression in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells-Invited to present data at two global meetings to show the importance of the research performed.-Gained a great deal of experience in molecular biology, protein sciences, tissue culture and the industrial workplace

Glasgow

-CRISPR/Cas9 nickase experimentation to mutagenise target sites at the AAVS1 locus in HEK293 cells.-Gained a great deal of experience in academic lab work and became familiar with lab life.-Regularly attended lab meetings and 1-on-1 discussions with the lab leader and/or my supervisor.-Developed a wide range of skills and techniques including HEK293 tissue culture and flow cytometry.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Clinical Neuroscience

Molecular And Cellular Biology Msci (Hons), Molecular Biology, 1St Class Msci (Hons)

Activities and Societies: -A member of both the Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Genetics society, and the Infection and Immunity.

Education record

- 10 GCSEs A*- C - As level English Language - A - A level Biology - B - A level Geography - B - A level Physics - C