MSci Student Christal Liu Wins the Outstanding Organic Research Project Prize

Christal Liu has been awarded the MSci Organic Research Project Prize for her exceptional final-year project in the Tate group

Christal’s thesis, titled "Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Covalent Rab27a Inhibitors Containing N-Heterocyclic Bioisosteres," focused on the development of covalent small molecule inhibitors targeting the challenging GTPase Rab27a. Her work combined synthetic organic chemistry and biochemical assay development, culminating in the design of novel inhibitors and insightful structure–activity relationship (SAR) analysis.

Reflecting on her time in the group, Christal commented:  "I was very lucky to join the Tate group and the Rab27 project. It was my first time developing a covalent small molecule inhibitor, and Rab27a is a very challenging but fascinating target. This experience really improved my problem-solving skills; I had to tackle issues from poor solubility and reactivity to product separation. I also learnt to run various biochemical assays and analyse the data. What I enjoyed most was interpreting SAR and using it to guide structure optimisation. It brought together everything I’d learnt over the past years and even inspired new ideas."

Christal also highlighted the supportive and collaborative environment in the lab: "I met so many great people in the Tate group. Everyone was professional, experienced, and always ready to help. I’m especially grateful to my supervisors, Ed, Adam, and Tom, for their guidance and encouragement throughout the project."

Having completed her undergraduate studies, Christal is now heading to Duke University to begin her PhD.

Many congratulations to Christal on this well-deserved recognition, we wish her every success in the next stage of her scientific journey!

Hannah Peters also completed an MSci project in the Tate group and was recently awarded the Joachim Steinke Prize for Excellence in Organic Chemistry. This prize is awarded to a Student in the Final Year of the Undergraduate Chemistry Course for Excellence in Organic Chemistry.

Hannah found that the MSci project offered excellent preparation for her forthcoming PhD; "I have really enjoyed my time working in the Tate Group for my MSci project. I have had great support from my supervisors and had the opportunity to gain really valuable research experience. In particular, I have appreciated the opportunity to delve deeper into chemical biology, specifically chemical proteomics, and this experience will be hugely valuable when I start my PhD in September."

Congratulations Hannah and best wishes for your PhD!