I am currently working as a senior scientist in the field of immuno-oncology at Invox Pharma. I perform a range of laboratory based methods to develop our understanding of the mechanism of action of therapeutic bispecific antibodies. I analyse data from these experiments and present the findings to the relevant project teams. I also provide expertise on a range of subject areas as required in cross-group meetings. I am actively involved in establishing laboratory procedures and equipment in our new laboratory, and act as a go to person for troubleshooting and maintaining certain machines and procedures.

I worked on a collaborative project characterising a novel immunomodulatory compound with T cell agonistic properties. My work involved investigating the efficacy of the compound compared to known clinical comparators in terms of its in vitro ability to engage T cell activation and proliferation. This included multiple techniques such as tissue culture of cell lines and primary cells, isolation of primary cells from blood and purification of cell types from PBMCs. I carried out a range of experiments such as fluorescence based reporter assays, complex primary cell co-cultures, ELISAs, multi-parameter flow cytometry and microscopy. I also performed and managed in vivo experiments to assess the impact of compounds on immune activation and tumour growth. I regularly presented updates from these experiments both within the University of Southampton and with our external partners. The outcomes of this project are supporting progression decisions of a compound from pre-clinical to human trials.

I spent 2 years working in the laboratory of Dr. Sean Lim at The University of Southampton. The lab is focused on understanding and optimising immunostimulatory antibodies for the treatment of cancer. My work has focused on developing and optimising single cell RNA sequencing methods for understanding the impact of antibody therapy, and generating antibody conjugates for these experiments. I am also actively involved in supervising 2 PhD students and have supported undergraduate students undertaking placements in the laboratory.

I spent 4 years studying for a PhD in the laboratory of Prof. Mark Cragg at the University of Southampton. My PhD focused on studying monoclonal antibodies and how changes to the constant region impact upon their effector functions in the context of cancer immunotherapy. More specifically, my project investigated the effects of differential glycosylation and compared different antibody subclasses for their capacity to induce various antibody dependent outcomes. I also spent 9 months on placement working at the pharmaceutical company Roche, gaining experience of analytical HPLC. During the course of my PhD I kept detailed records of the work I carried out, both in Southampton and at Roche, worked collaboratively to achieve goals and had the opportunity to present my findings in the form of posters and oral presentations and attended conferences both internally and internationally.

During my PhD at the University of Southampton I spent 9 months on placement working at Roche in Penzberg, Germany. In this time I gained significant practical experience of analytical HPLC in establishing a novel column for analysis of antibodies. This placement allowed me to apply my knowledge and experience of working with antibodies, developed at the University of Southampton, to an industry based problem, whilst gaining experience both of working in a different culture and in a major pharmaceutical company.

I spent 1 year spent working in the Refractory and Respiratory Inflammation unit of GSK carrying out an integrated masters program whilst studying at the University of Sheffield. This was mainly spent doing lab work at GSK, including performing experiments on current lead compounds and carrying out research on primary human material. I recorded the experiments performed and data generated online using the appropriate lab book software, presented the findings as a poster and an oral presentation at GSK and produced a masters thesis that was submitted to the University, as well as a number of university assignments throughout the year.

I obtained a first class MBiolSci degree with honours in Molecular Biology at the University of Sheffield from 2010 to 2014. The first 3 years comprised the 3 year BSc course and an additional integrated masters year spent at GlaxoSmithKline. The BSc course contained a mix of lab based modules as well as a broad range of taught modules including biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology and immunology.