^{(c) Image copyright Tjitske Kamphuis}

Associated projects

Spatial antigen expression of Hepatitis C Virus Envelope-Glycoprotein (E1E2) vaccines

Prior to joining the Foundation Programme in Oxford, I had worked on clinical trials investigating COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in immunocompromised patient populations. I always wanted a chance to develop further as a researcher and get some more experience with data science, wet-lab techniques and understanding the pre-clinical phase of research. As such, the ASFP was a great opportunity to learn new skills alongside my clinical work. This wouldn’t really be feasible without it.

My project was to design/adapt an in vitro technique to quantify antigen expression from Hepatitis C vaccine candidates in cells. Effectively, once cells receive the vaccine nucleic acids and produce antigen, where does this go? This required getting to grips with various molecular biology techniques and setting up experiments across multiple days. 

To that end, I really benefited from having a four-month block allocated for research as part of my FY2 year. This made it easier to plan experiments and get fully immersed into the group. I attended weekly progress meetings and journal clubs, presented data to international collaborators and had time to work on new skills, e.g. courses in coding and data science.

I personally really enjoyed my ASFP and benefited tremendously from it. During my time in the lab, I learnt a lot of molecular biology and have presented my data at an international conference.

Protected time away from clinical work to develop your academic interests and skills is invaluable for anyone considering an academic career, and this is not easy without an ASFP.

Thanks to OUCAGS, I have also made connections with other researchers that I would want to work with in the future. I left the ASFP with a new skillset, a better understanding of my career goals and an international conference poster.

The disadvantage of the ASFP is that you have less time to achieve the same ARCP goals. This requires careful organisation and being proactive, but is certainly doable.

I joined the ASFP as a FY2 – I had picked Oxford even before the ASFP.

Due to the close ties between the hospital and the university, Oxford benefits from access to world-renowned experts on the wards and in the lab. As a result, there will most likely be somebody here who shares your research interests.

The Oxford ASFP is also unique. You get a lot of freedom to choose your own project and tailor it to your interests. There is a lot of support for courses, networking and general development as an academic clinician.

October 2024