College of Health and Medicine PhD students Muhammad Ishaq and Catherine Foster joined more than 50 of their peers from across Australia to participate in the sixth annual EMBL PhD course.
The College’s School of Medicine hosted this year’s event which provided the latest developments in life science research from Australian and international scientists, as well as workshops and day trips.
The two-week course is designed to support and inspire the next generation of life science researchers with EMBL Australia supporting various internships and training courses.
Muhammad Ishaq, PhD candidate – Pharmacy
What is your PhD? My research encompasses drugs discovery projects, as well as studies on our microbiome as a potential target for weight loss. Obesity is a serious health issue around the globe, including Australia. Recently, we found a novel metabolite called Asperuloside, which we extract from a local Tasmanian native plant. This compound so far has showed promising results, but we still don’t know the exact mechanism of action of this drug. We have already solved some of the puzzles related to it, but there is still more to learn in relation to the mechanism of action and the toxicity of this compound.
What were you most looking forward to about participating in the EMBL course?
For me, being part of EMBL is a dream, and I have been pursuing this dream since 2004. EMBL is a flagship of life science research, and it provides outstanding training and offers some of the best courses in the field of life science. I would one day like to be part of the EMBL team. I believe it is one of the best courses with an emphasis on developing curiosities for new ideas, and it provides a nice platform for collaborations. Another important aspect of this course is it supports a multidisciplinary approach to see the old question in new ways. The course also offers a wide range of workshops in the field of bioinformatics.
After the first week, what have been some of the highlights?
It’s been an amazing experience. From the very start, where Professor James Whisstock (Scientific Head of EMBL Australia) welcomed us to this year’s course, it’s been a wonderful experience. We’ve been given the chance to meet different experts who share new ideas and novel research with us, and we’ve participated in workshops and also 3MT presentations. We’ve had a chance to visit the Australian Antarctic Division and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies where we discovered more about the exceptional work they are undertaking. There’s also been plenty of social outings too including a BBQ hosted by the student committee, of which I am a part of.
How has the course helped with your research?
The course has helped me to bring new tools in drug discovery to find the solution for obesity and obesity-related diseases. During the first week, I communicated with terrific Australian scientists from different universities. The suggestions and feedback I received from them will bring the best out of me, and I’m already now in the process of using their suggestions to add more dimensions to my research area, and to address my research questions out of the box. This course offers a wide range of workshops like advanced imaging, pathways analysis, and creating images for publications using Adobe Illustrator. I am already using these tools for the review paper I’m writing at the moment.
Catherine Foster, PhD - Medicine
What is your PhD? My PhD is looking at how pericytes, a contractile cell, control blood flow and blood brain barrier function in the brain and if pericyte dysfunction is contributing to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease.
What were you most looking forward to about participating in the EMBL course?
I was looking forward to learning about a wide variety of different techniques I could use in my PhD from top researchers, and meeting and discussing research with the other 60 students from around Australia. I was particularly looking forward to the disease genetics and systems epidemiology topics and what would be covered in these sessions, as my PhD involves looking at multiple aspects of Alzheimer’s Disease genetics.
After the first week, what have been some of the highlights?
One of the main highlights was going to the Australian Antarctic Division and satellite calling people in Antarctica who are experiencing no sun for nine months. Some of the other highlights from the first week have been the talks on epigenetics, genomics and computational analysis where I have learnt techniques I can use in my PhD. The social events such as the day trips to MONA and Salamanca Market have also been great.
How has the course assisted with your research?
Attending the course has enabled me to hear from several leading scientists and researchers speaking on their research and expertise on certain techniques, which I will be able to employ in my research. As my PhD is largely imaging based, the course has provided me the opportunity to discuss with other imaging researchers ways in which my research can be improved. I’ve met so many students who are studying a diverse range of PhDs. They have all been amazing researchers who I’m aiming to keep in contact with for possible collaborations in the future.
