Divisions of Structural Biology and Cancer Biology
The Institute of Cancer Research
Iona Black, PhD student in the lab, has been interviewed as part of the #KickstartICR appeal. You can read the interview here. To learn more about how you can help ICR to kick-start research after lockdown, please visit the Kick-Start Appeal website.
We are back to the lab since June, with a rotation system to limit occupancy, but our research can go on. Our recent (socially distanced) lab picnic in the nearby Hyde Park was a nice summer treat.
We recently welcomed three new team members: Lucie Vyletova and Paul Hopkins join us for some time as Higher Scientific Officers. Matthew Jessop started his postdoctoral research. Welcome Lucie, Paul and Matthew!
Today we welcome our new Postdoctoral Fellow Nisha Pillay to the group. Nisha joins us from the University of Manchester, having studied the molecular determinants of PARG inhibitor sensitivity for her PhD. Welcome Nisha!
Our latest paper is out: Fragment-based screening identifies molecules targeting the substrate-binding ankyrin repeat domains of tankyrase. Thank you to our collaborators Ian Collins (ICR) and Mark Pfuhl (King’s College London)! Many congratulations to the whole team, in particular first author Katie Pollock on her PhD work! You can read about the work in this ICR press release.
PhD student Yexin Xie has been awarded a place at the EMBO Course “Practical Integrative Structural Biology”. The course takes place at EMBL Hamburg and the Centre for Structural Systems Biology. Congratulations Yexin!
Postdoctoral Fellow Michael Ranes has been awarded a place at the prestigious Pathways to Independence training programme, a joint initiative by the ICR, Sanger, MRC, and Cancer Research UK institutes and the Babraham Institute. The programme provides training for future scientific leaders. Michael has also received a £5,000 Dean’s Award to develop his independent research programme. Congratulations Michael!
Our lab is growing. We welcome Oviya Inian and William (Billy) Fisher into the lab. Oviya is a Postdoctoral Fellow who joins our telomere team. Billy joins us for a two-month summer project funded by a Lister Institute Summer Studentship.
Today we said farewell to Pete. We tried keeping him by narrowly succeeding in the escape room challenge while getting him locked in. With just over two minutes to spare in the end, we did not manage. All the best to Pete in his new adventures!
Mariola’s paper is published in Biomolecular NMR Assignments: Solution NMR assignment of the ARC4 domain of human tankyrase 2. Congratulations to Mariola and Katie! This has been the first step in an exciting collaboration with Mark Pfuhl and Ian Collins.