The Vacation Studentship encourages undergraduates to take pharmacology as a specialism. Winners receive up to £1,850 for up to ten weeks to help cover living costs during a summer research project, which they have devised with their supervisor.
Nine studentships were awarded this year, and as you will see from the reports from a selection of the recipients in this article, they provide an invaluable opportunity for students eager to gain lab experience.
Jacob Browne, University of East Anglia
Project: Exploring interactions between negative modulator and positive modulator activity at P2X7 receptors
When I applied for the Vacation Studentship, I was halfway through the second semester of my second year of pharmacology and drug discovery. I needed to gain lab experience, and due to my interest and enjoyment of my degree, I wanted to continue to learn throughout the summer. Dr Leanne Stokes advertised the studentship, and it was exactly what I was looking for, as well as the bonus of being up to 10-weeks, which would be much closer to the length of a real research project than others offered at the time. Dr Stokes and I discussed the project and weighed up different potential topics focused on pharmacology. Once we came to a decision, we discussed a research plan and wrote a project outline.
Initially, I found it very challenging to learn some of the techniques. I found myself making mistakes and working slowly to avoid them happening again. With practice, help and advice from those in the lab, I managed to improve over time, growing in both skill and confidence. This confidence manifested itself in me being able to get more involved in the research; I did more reading and used the questions that arose to suggest potential experiments. During the project, I began to take interest in computational docking, to which Dr Stokes taught me the best investigational methods and gave me documents and files I could use to research it successfully. Over time we confirmed and discovered new information about the pharmacological properties of the purinergic P2X7 receptor, and I attempted to brainstorm ideas to explain them, which really helped develop my knowledge and understanding of the field.
I achieved everything that I set out to do with the studentship and more. I have improved my confidence and technical ability, and as a result I am now much more prepared for my third year and beyond.
Read Jacob’s full report
Aoife O’Connell, National University of Galway Ireland
Project: Investigating the mechanism of alpha synuclein induced degeneration and synaptic protein expression changes in a cell culture model of dopaminergic degeneration
During the summer of my third year studying Biomedical Science, I was given the opportunity to undertake a seven-week research project under the guidance of Dr Declan McKernan. This research experience was invaluable following the challenges of the two previous years where many laboratory practical sessions were cancelled. I have always had a strong interest in research and was delighted to find a summer project which really appealed to me to help me further decide whether research is a path I would like to pursue in the future.
When I first began looking at summer internships, I contacted Dr McKernan to enquire if there were any opportunities in his lab. He offered me a position in his Parkinson’s disease research team and advised me to apply for funding offered by societies. The award helped support me throughout my seven weeks in the lab and allowed me to fully immerse myself in the research experience. It allowed me to develop my cell culture and western blotting skills, while also giving me an insight into what research works entails. Throughout the project I encountered various challenges including failed blots, incomplete transfers and issues with sample buffers. This provided me with an opportunity to develop my troubleshooting skills as well as many other transferrable skills, including effective communication and working independently and as part of a lab group. These skills, as well as my confidence in the lab which grew throughout the seven weeks, will be invaluable as I complete my thesis next year and throughout the rest of my career.
Read Aoife’s full report.
Aisha Sharif, Queen Mary, University of London
Project: To identify an allosteric site at MC4R that could be exploited for therapeutic purposes
During my final year of my degree in chemistry, I worked on a project which was in collaboration with the School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London I had the opportunity to test the compounds I designed for a Melanocortin 4 Receptor (MC4R). This further piqued my interest in a pharmacological lab experience, particularly drug targets and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), inspiring me to apply for the Vacation Studentship.
My research project focused on a particular mutation, K160A, and screening various compounds using the cAMP assay. The screening was done using positive allosteric modulators using the mutated receptor as well as the wild type. The results were then analysed by completing a dose response curve. As a chemistry graduate, this was a method of analysis which was unfamiliar to me, however, I was able to learn how to plot a dose response as well as analysing the results to see what they indicate.
In the ten weeks I spent on the project, not only did I work in the lab, I also had a chance to work on developing key academic skills such as researching, presenting, logical reasoning and academic writing.
As a chemistry student, several of the techniques were new to me, which helped me enhance and develop several key skills which will be invaluable, as I aspire to pursue a PhD after my medical training. In medicine, pharmacology is a cardinal aspect as it deals with understanding the role of various drugs in the body.
Read Aisha’s full report.
Reece Thompson, University of Strathclyde
Project: Understanding mechanisms of chemotherapeutic-associated cardiotoxicity
During the first year of my undergraduate degree at the University of Strathclyde, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all lab work and significantly reduced my in-person lab experience. Furthermore, because all lectures and workshops were conducted online, the social interaction with academics and other students was significantly impacted. I was eager to obtain laboratory experience and see how a research laboratory operates. I began by reviewing the profiles of academic staff to determine their primary areas of study. In addition to the lectures in pharmacology, I was intrigued by Dr Margaret Cunningham's research, so I contacted her to enquire about summer internship opportunities in her lab. I was delighted that Margaret proposed a project for us to work together on and suggested I apply for the British Pharmacological Society's Vacation Studentship.
The technical skills I acquired during my project were crucial, but what was more important to me was acquiring further lab experience to enhance my confidence in the lab, by working on my own experiments and coming up with my own research ideas. This has led me to want to pursue a career in biochemical pharmacology.
Read Reece’s full report.
The Vacation Studentship is one of many prizes, awards and grants the Society provides. To learn more about other the studentship, and to read reports from previous recipients, visit the Vacation Studentship page
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