International Exchange, 2014
MRC Toxicology Unit, UK and Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Melbourne, Australia
Evaluation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor models used in drug discovery
“I applied for The International Exchange Scheme to allow me to visit an internationally recognised centre of excellence at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Melbourne. The main aim of the visit was to complete a set of experiments that we were unable to perform in Leicester as we lacked the appropriate expertise and equipment.
"During my time in Melbourne, I gathered a large body of data and this has recently been accepted for publication in Molecular Pharmacology with myself and the co-applicant, Dr. Chris Langmead, as first and corresponding authors, respectively. Not only was I able to generate a lot of data and deliver on the objectives of the grant, I developed a relationship with many scientists in Monash University and this has benefited my career significantly.
"Furthermore, this collaboration has provided a strong foundation for further funding applications, and my previous laboratory now has a joint Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award (£4.2M) with Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences to work on the animal models described in my original application. My time in Melbourne also coincided with the ASCEPT-MPGPCR joint meeting, where I was an invited speaker in the early career session.”