Managing a diverse portfolio of clinical trials from Phase I to Phase III in multiple therapeutic areas. Working with a wider team including setup, site response, kit building and logistics to ensure trial success. Duties range from study setup and site training, managing supplies, troubleshooting issues and data discrepancies, assessing and managing risks, budget and finance oversight, ensuring inspection readiness of TMF and documents, facilitating protocol updates and sample shipments all the way through to study close out. As well as working towards internal process improvements and quality management to provide successful trials and client relationships.

Working on a 5 year MRC project grant on immune checkpoint targeting in melanoma brain metastases. During this project I have planned and managed large experiments, ensuring responsibilities are delegated clearly and effectively to make the most of the data and samples available and ensure our project goals are achieved. As well as experimental work, I manage budgets and expenditure, purchasing and procurement, train and supervise new staff and students and making sure everyone's skills are being utilised, including my own, while always trying to expand my skill base even further! Technical skills include cell culture, molecular biology such as extractions, western blots, qPCR, subcloning, flow cytometry. Bacterial work including producing chemically competent cells, transformation of plasmid DNA and subsequent expansion and extraction. Animal work including in vivo imaging, intracranial surgery and isolation of tumours to a single cell level for analysis. Lots of histology with paraffin and OCT.I also manage the day to day running of the lab as a whole, helping to ensure equipment is serviced and maintained, management of consumables and stock, and organising cleaning and maintenance of facilities among the lab and training staff and students on various equipment and facilities. Liaising with senior management to find solutions to problems such as recent problems with stock availability of key consumables, as well as improving recycling and waste disposal routes among many other things that keep the lab running smoothly!Previously I worked on projects for 2 different research groups, focusing on treatment of glioblastoma with a small molecule inhibitor, as well as looking at breast cancer brain metastases. I juggled two different projects and the needs of two different labs, so managing my time and tasks effectively while always keeping an eye on the ball for both groups was essential.

Technician working in women's health, specifically pregnancy complications. Collecting and processing clinical study samples for the Thousand Women Study, heading up a project looking for microRNA biomarkers for various pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia in patient blood. Managing budgets for lab projects as well as trial consumables. Successfully amended ethical approval to expand study, and improved sample labelling and tracking by updating to barcoded tube system.

During the Covid 19 pandemic I was seconded to the NHS to be involved in clinical trials to find potential treatments for Sars Cov2 in hospitalised patients, processing infectious samples in the lab and managing large numbers of samples and SOPs from a big range of different trials all running side by side, and getting to grips with a new sample tracking system being implemented. GCP training helped to ensure responsibilities were clear throughout the trial and the importance of confidentiality and meticulous record keeping, especially with regard to any deviations in protocol or adverse events. Gained great insight in the breadth of trials, from sponsor to lab technicians, planning the trial and getting expedited approval for Covid treatments, putting together SOPs and sample packs, liaising with ward staff to ensure correct samples are taken and everything is labelled correctly, and organising delivery of samples to companies carrying out further analysis. Also had to be in contact with trial managers when things didn't quite make sense within protocols to make sensible amendments, or what to do if we didn't receive the right equipment or labels. Some really important findings and treatments came from some of these trials and I was really proud to have been a part of this.