Project Title: Understanding the molecular and structural basis of brain hyperactivity in Alzheimer's Disease and its potential for therapeutic intervention
Supervisor: Dr Johanna Jackson, Professor Harry Low
Location: Level 7, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, 86 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ
About Me
I am a PhD student in the Jackson laboratory in the Department of Brain Sciences within the UK Dementia Research Institute centre at Imperial College London. My project is focused on synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease relating to brain hyperactivity in the disease, and its potential for therapeutic intervention. We hope to use a combination of interdisciplinary methods to achieve this including proteomics, IF staining, cryo-EM, and cell culture. I became interested in neuroscience and dementia research during my BSc at Warwick, particularly because of the lack of effective drugs and therapies for many neurological diseases. This then led me onto an interest of translational research and drug development, which I explored during my MSc in Drug Design at UCL, completing a project in the Duff Lab at the UCL’s DRI centre, investigating novel therapies for tauopathies. I was then accepted onto Imperial’s MultiSci MRC DTP program, completing two rotations for the first-year MRes component of the program. My second rotation was conducted in the Jackson Lab, which I thoroughly enjoyed and hence I decided to stay on to complete my PhD project in the lab. Outside of science, I enjoy martial arts, travelling with friends, and enjoying London parks in summer.
Qualifications
2024-2025: MRes Biomedical Research (Year 1 of MultiSci MRC DTP) (Distinction)
2023-2024: MSc Drug Design, University College London (Distinction)
2019-2023: BSc Biomedical Science with Placement Year, University of Warwick (First Class)
Research Interests
My research interests are focused around translational approaches and interdisciplinary science. I’m motivated by trying to contribute to developing new therapies for dementia due to the lack of truly efficacious treatment options. I am interested in synaptic dysfunction as it is the best correlator to cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s, which provides hope that by rescuing synapses we can slow down or stop that process. I believe that by integrating different modalities of science in research we can make progress on identifying novel drug targets and design appropriate therapeutics for them. Therefore, my interests span across molecular neuroscience, structural biology, pharmacology and computational approaches, all of which I am looking to integrate into my PhD project.
Contact Details
Email: j.wos24@imperial.ac.uk
LinkedIn: jan-wos-a761191b5
