Background
Having thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University of Sheffield, it was clear that continuing my studies in an MSc in Antimicrobial Resistance was the correct path for me. I was awarded a University of Sheffield Postgraduate Scholarship which allowed me to pursue this. During the last year of my undergraduate degree, my extended research project was titled ‘X-Ray Crystallography and Structural Analysis of 4 Campylobacter jejuni Periplasmic Binding Proteins’. This provided me with new lab techniques and prepared me for further lab research. Also, in my last year, I completed my literature review on ‘The Bacterial Homologues of Actin and Tubulin’. Additionally, in 2019, I undertook a summer placement at YourGene Health, a non-invasive prenatal testing company, which amplified my analytical skills and allowed me to form networks with colleagues there. I have a particular interest in infectious disease epidemiology, and this is a career path which fascinates me. I look forward to learning more on this MSc course as well as starting my research project. 
Research Project
My MSc project is based in Dr. Claire Turner’s lab where we are investigating the role of ppGpp for the persistence of Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus) in the oropharyngeal environment. ppGpp is a key regulator of the stringent response in many different bacteria, and is synthesised by the genes relA, relP and relQ in S. pyogenes. By using a temperature sensitive plasmid, pGHost, containing shortened versions of these rel genes, we have created S. pyogenes mutants and will test them in human tonsil epithelial cell lines and in human saliva. We will then use real time PCR to quantify the expression of these genes and compare them to a wild-type phenotype. We would expect the mutants to be defective in their ability to persist or grow within stressful environments. This lab experience has been eye opening and a fascinating mix of microbiology with clinical aspects. Working with and manipulating S. pyogenes has been a great stepping-stone for my career and has given me experience within host-pathogen interactions, and working with tissue culture has opened up new areas and potential new career paths. |
The Team
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