Author: Katie O'Keefe

HSDTC Public Engagement Competition Winners 2022

12/05/2022 / Katie O'Keefe

Congratulations to this year’s winners and shortlisted entries for the HSDTC Public Engagement Competitions!

Doctoral researchers in the Health Sciences submitted entries for the HSDTC Science Communication Prize and the HSDTC Science Image Prize for a chance to win £300 and be featured on our website and blog. Keep reading to learn more about the shortlisted entries for 2022.

HSDTC Science Image Prize 2022

Doctoral researchers had to submit a visual entry that either conveyed the entirety of their research or an aspect of it.

We were looking for images which might explore the social impact that their research has on a global, population, or individual scale. They may be a true representation of the subject, or manipulated post-production, such as with false colouring; or they could show their research in a more abstract way.

Images could have shown, for example, the subject matter of their research, such as an image of cells or the brain, or research in action, for example the methods, equipment or facilities used in their research.

The judges were looking for images which are informative, captivating, and which clearly communicate the research being done. Entries could utilise many techniques, such as: photography; microscopy; medical imaging; new and emerging imaging techniques; data visualisation; artistic media.

The impactful shortlisted submissions are available below, including our winner Antzela Tsavou, and runner-up, Natalie Sanford:

Antzela Tsavou (winner)
Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang by Antzela Tsavou

Life is full of opposites. Completely contrary forces that we think do not interrelate at all. Yet, instead of being all black or all white, it’s a little of both, just like Yin and Yang. The fungus that I study, Candida albicans, is a pathobiont which means that it exists as a helpful member of the human microbiota until the opportunity is found to be harmful in immunocompromised people. This fungus can switch reversibly between “the good” or yeast form (on the left) and “the bad” or hyphal form (on the right) to take control of the human host and manipulate it just like a master of survival.

Two worlds that give rise to each other. Just like in life and in nature, maintaining balance or the so-called homeostasis is key. Evolution has allowed this microorganism to control the human host and transition between these two very different worlds with ease.

In my PhD, I study the control of this morphological switch. Future work towards identifying additional regulators of this change could open up new avenues towards treatment developments.

These images were taken using the EVOS M5000 microscope and contrast was manipulated using Photoshop.

Natalie Sanford (runner-up),
Methodologies Division, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care

Pressure

A water colour painting depicting hands lifting or supporting an exhausted healthcare provider, who is overwhelmed with a variety of competing priorities. Photo of painting enhanced to suit digital format.

Stijn Aaron den Daas (shortlisted)
School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

Heart Organoids

A heart shaped intestinal organoid stained for Lysozyme (Red) and nuclear counterstain (Magenta), imaged with a fluorescent microscope, and coloured with ImageJ. Intestinal organoids are grown from isolated intestinal crypt cells and grown in specialised media to allow the crypt stem cell to proliferate, while maintaining their stem-ness. Cells proliferated from stem cells differentiate into the various cell types present in the intestinal epithelium, i.e. Enterocytes, Paneth cells, Goblet cells, Tuft cells, and Enteroendocrine cells. These cells form an intact monolayer with the apical side inward and basolateral side outward, creating the lumen inside the intestinal organoid. While growing the organoids create crypt and villi –like structures that resemble the intestine, which result in a 3D budding spherical shape.

We use intestinal organoids as a model for the intestine to translate disease aetiology of liver cirrhosis, with a focus on the gut-liver axis in disease progression. Intestinal organoids can be used to examine the effect of toxins and therapies on the intestinal epithelium in vitro.

Zsofia Szlamka (shortlisted)
Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Autism-friendly

The subject of this image is a world that is entirely autism-friendly and inclusive. While the blue context calls for autism, the nature represents the entirety, the Globe itself. The picture was taken with a smart phone and no post-production manipulation took place.

Anna Elisabeth Fürtjes (shortlisted)
Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Pursuing a PhD

The image I am submitting to the HSDTC Science Image Competition depicts 3-dimensional coordinates of a standard human brain with random colours spread across the cortex. I have produced the brain images while figuring out how to use an algorithm to subdivide the brain into contiguous areas. My first attempts resulted in images that looked like the brain on the bottom left. Through trial and error, I started to understand the inner workings of the algorithm, and I managed to manipulate it in a way that it allowed me to produce the brain on the right depicting contiguous areas, as I needed them for my study. This process was spread across a few weeks as it was time-consuming and computationally demanding.

The image represents the process of Pursuing a PhD as I have experienced it throughout the past 2 ½ years. I learned that conducting research is never straightforward, and using trial and error helped me get better at coding to manipulate datasets allowing me to answer niche biological questions about the brain.

The brain images were generated with the programming language R, and I used specialised packages within R (Rvcg & rgl) to render the images from 3-dimensional coordinates. The 3D coordinates are commonly used by neuroscientists as a reference, when pre-processing their brain images (fsaverage). I assembled the brain renders created with R in Adobe Photoshop. The R code depicted in the background of the final image is taken from the R scripts I wrote to generate the brain renders.

HSDTC Science Communication Prize 2022

PhD students submitted short ‘newspaper style’ articles about research projects they were currently involved in (or an aspect of it). The articles are aimed at lay audiences and have to be interesting and understandable for an interested member of the public.

The judges were looking for articles which:

are compelling to read and easily understandable
clearly explain the research being done
answer the question “why does this research matter?”
are worthy of publication in a national newspaper.

Five engaging submissions were shortlisted, including the winning submission by Lea Lortal, and the runner-up, Oscar James MacCormac:

Lea Lortal (winner)
Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

When your own fungus betrays you

The fungi kingdom is very broad: it ranges from very big mushrooms to microscopic yeasts. What’s peculiar is that some of these fungi are friendly as they are used for food and medicine, but others are hostile and cause disease in humans.

Fungal infections are incredibly common: they affect 1 billion people around the world. That’s 1 in 8 people.

Some of these infections are superficial (e.g. nail infections) but others are life-threatening (e.g. blood infections) and kill 1.5 million people every year.

Despite these high numbers, this mysterious kingdom has been neglected, and remains understudied and underfunded.

One of the most common pathogenic fungi is Candida albicans. This yeast is naturally present in our body and is usually harmless. But in specific conditions, it can overgrow and shift to a harmful version of itself, causing infections such as thrush. Talk about a betrayal.

In 2016, the Naglik lab at King’s College London discovered that when Candida albicans transitions from friendly to harmful, it produces a toxin. They named it ‘candidalysin’.

Today, the Naglik & Richardson labs are leading the effort to understand how candidalysin physically and chemically damages human cells. “By investigating how candidalysin works, our goal is to enhance our understanding of Candida albicans’ ability to cause disease and contribute to the identification of new therapeutic targets.” says PhD candidate Antzela Tsavou.

The discovery of candidalysin shows that the fungal kingdom is still full of mysteries. In the last two years, we have witnessed the emergence of Covid-19-associated fungal infections, with alarmingly high mortality rates. Fungal infections are on the rise, and their studying is a moral imperative for this next decade.

Oscar James MacCormac (runner-up)
Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

Hyperspectral, Hypersafe!

A research group at King’s College Hospital are currently developing a novel imaging system for use during surgery in order to improve the efficiency and safety of brain tumour surgery. The theory behind this is that the human eye, along with our best smartphone cameras, is only capable of seeing colours within the red, green and blue light ranges; hyperspectral cameras allow us to detect far greater detail than these colours alone. To explain this further, Anisha Bahl; one of the PhD students working with the project says ‘imagine seeing a selection of apples in the supermarket. All of them look broadly the same, however when you take a bite the apple may be bruised inside. The hyperspectral camera allows us to see the bruised apples before we leave the supermarket.’

The clinical use of this technology is becoming increasingly clear and exciting; applying the above analogy, this will allow neurosurgeons to see, live, clearly what is tumour tissue and what is not meaning more precise, safer surgery for patients. On top of this, no radiation is involved – the system relies solely on simple white light, meaning no additional risk for any patients undergoing surgery with this revolutionary new technology.

Patients who have been through brain tumour surgery are also enthusiastic about this prospect; patient representatives from patient and public involvement (PPI) group for the project have said ‘any opportunity to make brain surgery safer for patients is an exciting prospect’ and ‘our first PPI group session provided a great insight in to the views of others and provoked some fascinating discussion regarding the role of artificial intelligence in surgery – actually very well received as an aid to guiding the surgeon.’

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) agrees with the above, awarding the group a coveted i4i research grant in order to run the first clinical trial of the system at King’s College Hospital due to commence in May 2022; we look forward to keeping you updated with its progress!

Natalie Sanford (shortlisted)
Methodologies Division, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care

Creating the Perfect Harmony: Interprofessional Teamwork in Healthcare

Quality patient care depends on healthcare workers from many disciplines working together seamlessly –teamwork which requires cross-disciplinary understanding, coordination, and communication – yet there is currently no international standard for teaching this critical skillset. Researchers at King’s College London are working to change that, starting by evaluating the current state of teamwork in hospitals.

A healthcare team is not unlike an orchestra made up of many different, complementary instruments. While each section rehearses separately, the full ensemble must practice together before opening night. Yet, in healthcare, where the stakes are quite literally life and death, the full team does not always rehearse together before being expected to perform. Becoming a healthcare provider in any discipline requires substantial training, yet there are currently no international requirements for interprofessional education. When the curtain goes up, it’s assumed that everyone will play their parts.

A team of King’s College London researchers are analysing teamwork in hospitals in England to better understand how different professions are already working together. The hope is that evaluating how teamworking takes place organically might offer insight into how education can be improved and what support workers need to be more effective in their roles. The challenges and pressures healthcare workers face are extreme and have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic through decreased staffing, sicker patients, and fewer resources. The research team is examining these challenges and pressures, observing how workers flexibly adapt to meet demands despite reduced capacity, and whether this differs based on the features of the team. The setting, structure, membership, and function of the team are all factors that might influence how teams work together to coordinate their actions, researchers have found. Understanding what constitutes successful teamwork can enable researchers to devise ways of training and supporting teams to increase patient safety, reduce burnout, improve job satisfaction, and retain the existing healthcare workforce. Whether seasoned performers or newcomers to the hospital stage, the show must go on – and our healthcare workforce deserves a dress rehearsal in addition to broken legs!

Samia Elkommos (shortlisted)
Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Solving the Seizure Puzzle – Is Wearable Technology the Missing Piece?

Seizures happen for many reasons – but trying to find out the type of seizure, as well as the trigger, can be a puzzle and take some detective work. Often, doctors use lots of pieces of information to work this out. They’ll assess the person’s account of what happened, any witnesses who saw the seizure, a video if available, and carry out medical tests. None of these are 100% reliable though, and even after extensive research it can be difficult to know what type of seizure someone has had.

A common type of seizure is an epileptic seizure which occurs due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. At the opposite end of the spectrum, functional (non-epileptic) seizures are thought to occur due to dissociation – where people experience a disconnect between their thoughts, surroundings, and identity.

It is important to differentiate between the two because their treatments are completely different – epilepsy is treated with medication, whereas functional seizures are treated with talking therapies. People can get hurt if they are diagnosed incorrectly and receive the wrong treatment. To the naked eye both seizures look similar – so it can be tricky.

Wearable technology is being used in epilepsy research, and shows that changes in the body which occur around the time of seizures can be measured with wearable sensors worn on the wrist or arm. By measuring changes in heart rate, arm movements, breathing and skin sweating we can detect when someone has had an epileptic seizure.

We theorise there will be different patterns in heart rate, arm movements and breathing between those with epileptic seizures and those with functional seizures. As such, wearable technology could be the missing piece of the puzzle, as it gives real-time information about what is happening to the body around the time of seizures.

If we can use this to identify different patterns of body changes in epileptic seizures versus functional seizures we can diagnose patients more quickly, more accurately and start them on the correct treatment from day one.

Lucy Menage (shortlisted)
Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

Taming the beast: taking the bite out of rabies virus

Walking down a dark and desolate street, the eerie still of the night is broken by the soft patter of footsteps, but they are not yours. You look around you in a panic trying to locate the source. Suddenly, a dog reveals itself from the shadows, lips ferociously snarled around its teeth and producing a low, bloodcurdling growl from deep within its throat. You gulp as you notice long strands of saliva dripping from the beast’s mouth. The dog braces itself, ready to pounce.

A scene such as this would have terrified someone in the 19th century as it signaled a dog carrying canine madness or what we know today as the rabies virus. Rabies is a horrifying virus able to induce peculiar symptoms such as extreme aggression, insomnia, and aversion to light, leading some to suggest rabies as the origin of the vampire myth.

The success of rabies comes from its ability to pass from the initial wound of entry all the way to the brain in a backwards, or retrograde, manner. This amazing ability has since been harnessed for neuroscience. Brain cells form connections with each other to allow communication between different regions. For example, the ‘I’m hungry’ region needs to speak to the ‘go to the fridge’ region. By meticulously altering the rabies virus, scientists have transformed it into a powerful tool for mapping these connections. Modified rabies, which now emits a colourful green light, is injected into a brain cell. The infective nature of rabies means it spreads backwards to an input cell, still emitting that green light. However, the tweaked virus can move no further and remains in the first connection. Why is this important? Well, the first connection indicates a strong cellular conversation and seeing how neurons communicate with each other is crucial to understanding their function within the brain. Once we understand the function, we’re one step closer to understanding the dysfunction in brain diseases. This is just one example of why science is so exhilarating, being able to convert a devastating disease into a tool for improving our future health.

Health Professional Researcher Profile: Dr Graham Blackman

14/05/2021 / Katie O'Keefe

Dr Graham Blackman, PhD Student at King’s College London

In this blog post we introduce you to one of our Health Professional Researchers (HPRs) at King’s, Dr Graham Blackman:

Graham is in the third year of his PhD funded by MRC, and is in his fourth year of specialty training in General Adult Psychiatry
Graham is based in the Department of Psychosis Studies within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
Graham’s working thesis title is The Association between Peripheral Markers of Inflammation and Clinical Outcomes in Psychosis

Graham, could you give us a brief summary of your route into a PhD, including previous research experience, and how this was funded?

I originally studied psychology at University before deciding to complete a graduate entry medicine degree. Prior to studying medicine, I had a couple of years of research experience under my belt which was really helpful in getting a flavour of what it was all about. Prior to taking time out of clinical training to complete a PhD, I was an academic clinical fellow (ACF) on the Maudsley Training Programme which provided 25% protected research time. I’ve long considered a career in research, so taking time out of clinical training when the opportunity arose felt natural.

What are your long-term ambitions for your clinical academic career?

After completing my PhD, I will be returning to clinical practice to complete my training and gain my Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). I hope to continue having some protected research time during the rest of my clinical training to further several clinical studies that I’m involved in which look at improving clinical care in patients suffering with psychosis. Ultimately, my long-term ambition is to be able to balance a career as a clinician and academic.

What tips would you give to a clinician newly embarking on an out-of-programme research project e.g. a PhD or MD(Res)?

My main advice would be to gain research experience as early as possible. The time frame to conceive, plan, execute and publish a study is quite considerable and therefore careful planning is necessary. The other piece of advice I would give a budding clinical academic would be to seek out opportunities to work alongside a research team with a track record of securing grants and publishing in high impact journals.

What support has been most helpful to you in terms of navigating your clinical academic career to date?

In terms of formal support, being a clinical academic within the Maudsley and IoPPN has been hugely beneficial in providing the infrastructure, training, and support to navigate a rewarding, yet challenging career path. For example, through the ACF programme I was enrolled in a postgraduate certificate in clinical research, had protected research time, and dedicated training days. Informal support has also been critical – particularly in the form of advice and mentoring from other trainees, as well as more senior colleagues.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a clinical academic researcher?

This is entirely personal, but in my case it’s the opportunity to continue to learn and challenge myself – there are so many facets to research, from generating research ideas, to managing a project through to completion, to analysing the data and disseminating the results. Furthermore, the chance of making a contribution towards improving care in patients suffering a serious mental disorder is a huge privilege. Finally, my experience in clinical research has really helped improve me as a psychiatrist by gaining a much deeper understanding of the disorders I see on the wards and in clinic.

Shortlisted Submissions for the HSDTC Public Engagement Competitions 2021

05/05/2021 / Katie O'Keefe

Doctoral researcher students in the Health Sciences at King’s were invited to submit entries for the Public Engagement Competitions (The HSDTC Science Communication Competition and HSDTC Science Image Competition) for a chance to win £300 and be featured on our website and blog.

Five submissions for each competition were shortlisted and published in the brochure for the HSDTC Annual Research Symposium 2021.

This year, the Symposium took place entirely online via Microsoft Teams on the mornings of 29 and 30 April and the prize-winners of the Public Engagement Competitions were announced at an awards ceremony at the close of the event.

HSDTC Science Image Competition 2021

King’s doctoral research students were invited to submit a visual representation of their research. It needed to either convey the entirety of their research or an aspect of it.

Even with the added challenge of a limiting year of lockdowns, the students submitted a variety of creative images. The shortlisted submissions are available below, including our winner Lea Lortal, and runner-up, Andrew Doel:

Lea Lortal (winner)
Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

Doing a Lab-based PhD during a pandemic

In 2020-21, research in the lab has been complicated. From March 13th to July 5th, during the first UK lockdown, researchers worked from home, writing reviews and grants, reading as many papers as possible, and planning future experiments. But we still missed the lab. In my free time, I also played Animal Crossing New Horizons, a popular video game where you live on an exotic island and can build your home. On this game, I built my very own research lab and it made me joyful. Now, we’re back in the real lab, which is great, but conditions are more challenging than in the pre-COVID-19 world. Rotations, strict schedules, wearing masks all day and social distancing are part of it. But researchers are still doing their best to advance science and this image, I believe, captures an aspect of current lab research during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrew Doel (runner-up),
Department of Women & Children’s Health, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

New mother Breastfeeding, The Gambia

The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months postpartum and continued breastfeeding to two years or beyond, owing to its well established benefits for both mother and infant.

Exclusive breastfeeding reduces risk of infant mortality resulting from diarrhoea or other common illnesses. Further, it promotes healthy cognitive development and has been associated with reduced risk of later childhood and adult obesity. It is also beneficial for the mother in helping with child spacing and lessening the likelihood of breast and ovarian cancer.

This picture is of a mother enrolled in The Mothers Infant and Lactation Quality (‘MILQ’) study being conducted in The Gambia. This is her first child, and she has just received lactation counselling – provided as part of the MILQ study whose aim is to create reference values for nutrients and other constituents in human milk. These references will improve current estimates of micronutrient requirements across the first 9 months of lactation. They might also be used as an international reference against which to compare concentrations in different population groups and to evaluate the effects of nutritional interventions, such as maternal supplementation or national fortification programmes on breastmilk quality.

Levels of breastfeeding in The Gambia are good, largely due to it being a cost free form of nutrition for the infant, in a low income context. In recent years, however, urban regions of the country (such as where this picture was taken) have exhibited the beginnings of a ‘Nutrition Transition’, characterised by a move away from traditional diets in preference of westernised foods and altered dietary behaviours. One aspect of this transition is an increase in the use of formula milk and a shift away from WHO recommended practice. This shift highlights the importance and continued relevance of efforts to support adherence to the WHO guidelines.

Cathleen Hagemann (shortlisted)
Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

Axons of human iPSC derived motorneurons growing out of a neurosphere

Stem cell models allow us to recapitulate neurodevelopment in vitro and to investigate in depth the biological processes underlying neuronal function and neurodegeneration. However, conventional cell culture does not always resemble the highly specialised structure of neurons such as motorneurons. These cells establish long ranged connections with axons spanning over 1m in humans. Modelling axonal length would allow us to understand the specific constrains associated with length in health and disease. We develop a device to systematically investigate axonal length in vitro.

Therefore, we are investigating the growth behaviour of axons on different substrates. This image was taken in an experimental series to investigate the interaction between motorneuron-spheres and their substrate, in this case a silicon-based polymer. The neurons in this image were cultured for 7 days on the substrate and then antibody stained for beta-3-tubulin, a prominent axonal marker. This image was taken with a fluorescent microscope at 20x magnification and post processed in ImageJ using false colouring.

Melanie Le Sayec (shortlisted)
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

Put some rainbows in your research!

Plasma samples being thawed on ice, in anticipation for sample preparation and analysis. Plasma samples have been previously collected as part of a human clinical trial investigating the impact of blueberry consumption on cardiovascular parameters. The purpose of this analysis is to identify and quantify specific molecules called (poly)phenols – present in blueberries – in the plasma. The final aim would be to understand the metabolism of blueberries following their ingestion. Photo (unmodified, only cropped) taken on the 26th of February 2021, in FWB (Waterloo campus).

Nicholas Merrild (shortlisted)
Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

When the Void Stares Back

Comprised of a web of highly dense, organised and beautiful rope-like structural proteins, collagen carries and distributes the tension of the loadbearing connective tissue of joints-articular cartilage (AC). If adult AC is fractured, or otherwise lacerated, regeneration is unlikely in adults and the tissue’s further decline inevitably leads to a condition known as osteoarthritis. What little repair can be done, is managed by the sole cell type found in AC –the chondrocyte. However, chondrocytes only comprise 5-10% of the tissue volume and live isolated lives in their lacunae –literally, a well–trapped in a dense matrix of the rope-like collagen fibres.

Using a juvenile pig AC wound model in vitro, we can successfully observe repair after injury. To understand the injury response, we can image the dense collagen network surrounding the cell. Having ruled out the generation of new collagen, collagen cross-linkers, or any macro molecules generally associated with aiding cross-linking, we stumbled upon the absurd observation that a protein generally only associated with advancing osteoarthritis, may play an active role in repair. Upon confirming its importance, we aim to leverage this protein for tissue engineering strategies. So, after years of staring into the deep dark void of the well, it now stares back at us…and it is absurd.

Using scanning electron microscopy, this image (width just under 25μm; ~1/40^th of a millimetre) shows a single chondrocyte embedded in a dense nest of collagen fibres averaging ~100nm (~1/10,000thof a millimetre!) in diameter. The original black/white image was false coloured in photoshop, and brightness and contrast were adjusted, and finally googly eyes were added to produce the final image submitted.

Disclaimer: googly eyes are not naturally found on chondrocytes, added for artistic purposes only.

HSDTC Science Communication Competition 2021

PhD students undertook the challenge of submitting a short ‘newspaper style’ article about a research project they were currently involved in (or an aspect of it). The article is aimed at a non-expert audience and had to be engaging and understandable for an interested member of the public.

The judges were looking for articles which: are compelling to read and easily understandable; clearly explain the research being done; answer the question “why does this research matter?”; and are worthy of publication in a national newspaper.

Five fascinating submissions were shortlisted, including the winning submission by Elisa Brann, and the runner-up, Simon Lam:

Elisa Brann (winner)
Forensic & Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience

A little magic in science: exploring psychosis using hypnosis

Psychosis is a devastating condition that involves perceiving things that are not really there (hallucinations) or believing things that are not really true (delusions). Approximately 5% of people who experience psychosis commit suicide, making it one of the deadliest psychiatric conditions you can have. Whilst it is usually treated using anti-psychotic medication, sadly, one in four people do not see improvements.

One way of developing new therapies for psychosis is by understanding what is happening in the brain as it happens. But conducting brain imaging on these individuals is no simple task. Someone in the midst of a psychotic episode is usually far too unwell to take part in research. How then can we ever understand what’s going on?

Researchers at King’s College London have come up with an innovative way of tackling this issue – they conduct their brain imaging on healthy people who have been hypnotised to have psychotic experiences.

Hypnosis describes a scenario in which an individual enters a subjective state where alterations of perception can be caused by verbal instructions, known as suggestions. Many people are sceptical about hypnosis, often associating it with magic. But it is a very real phenomenon that can result in very powerful experiences. It has a long history of being used as an alternative to traditional anaesthetics, even during brain surgery!

By carefully crafting suggestions for a select group of people who are particularly hypnotizable, the researchers at King’s College London have been able to create many different kinds of psychotic symptoms. These include auditory verbal hallucinations (‘hearing voices’), delusions of control (when you believe someone else is controlling your body) and thought insertion (when you believe someone else is putting thoughts in your mind).

Now that they have been able to reliably produce these experiences, the research team are beginning to document what is happening in the brain as they happen. They hope that in doing so they will open a window into how psychosis works and ultimately unlock new ways of treating it. Sometimes you need to think outside the box in science, sometimes you need a little magic.

Simon Lam (runner-up)
Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

Fishing for an Alzheimer’s cure – how researchers use zebrafish to study the brain
It turns out that fish really is good for your brain – but not how you might think.

The common adage that fish is brain food is undisputed. It is well established that eating fish and taking fish oil capsules are good for the brain. But researchers have found another way that our scaly friends help our brains, and it doesn’t involve eating them.

Scientists studying Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at King’s College London have found that old age affects zebrafish brains in similar ways as it does humans. They found that as the zebrafish age, the amount of retinoid in the brain decreases. This is the same as what they observed in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients.

“Retinoids are molecules associated with anti-ageing,” explains Simon Lam, a second-year PhD student at the Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions. “We get them through our diet by eating foods like carrots and broccoli. But they’re also found in anti-ageing formulas and acne creams.”

It might not seem too surprising that known anti-ageing molecules should crop up when studying ageing, says the group. But it does help unlock the link between brain ageing and Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“And that’s what makes this finding so exciting. Old age is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, but it’s unclear how that works. What we’re trying to do here is tease out the changes in our brain in old age, and that’s why we’re using the zebrafish. We have fast and slow ageing fish, which should be able to tell us more about those changes.”

But when asked if eating more carrots is the cure to Alzheimer’s, the team says it isn’t so simple.

“What makes Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s so difficult to treat is that patients have highly variable responses to treatment. A treatment that works on one patient may or may not work on another. These are open questions we’re trying to answer: can we form groups of patients for which a specific treatment will work? And can we sort patients into the right group?”

William Edwards (shortlisted)
Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

Just go with the flow! Microfluidics in cell therapy production.

Cell therapy is a revolutionary concept in medical science, whereby living cells are administered to an individual, often by injection, in order to treat a specific disease. An example of this is CAR T-cell therapy, where cells of the immune system are extracted from the blood of a cancer patient and genetically edited to recognise cancer cells. They are then re-infused back into the patient where they will target and attack malignant tumours.

CAR T-cell therapy was approved in the UK in 2017 and has since been touted as one of the most important advances in cancer research in the 21st century. Despite its ability to induce complete remission in up to 90% of patients, it is currently not used as a first-line treatment as a result of the high cost for the NHS. The complex multi-step manufacturing process, requiring specialist equipment and expensive reagents, is reflected in the high price-point of £280,000 per individual.

In order to drive down CAR T-cell therapy manufacturing costs, researchers at King’s College London are attempting to use microfluidic technology in the CAR T-cell manufacturing process. Defined as the manipulation of fluids on a micro-scale, this technology has the potential to signficantly reduce costs by processing cells using a fraction of the reagents that are required with conventional methods. In addition, microfluidic approaches could also provide a higher degree of process stability and control. Typically, around 10% of patients who are eligible for the treatment do not receive it, as a result of errors in the manufacturing process. By allowing the automation of certain processes, this approach could reduce variability and human-related error, resulting in a better-quality product.

With the ambition of developing a single hand-held device to perform all of the operations of an entire laboratory required for the manufacturing process, this technology could overcome financial barriers and ultimately make CAR T-cell therapy accessible to more individuals.

Melanie Le Sayec (shortlisted)
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

Aronia: a “berry” good ally for your health!

Have you ever heard of aronia berry, a fruit coming from North America and looking like a small dark blueberry? Probably not, yet this berry is becoming of interest in the nutritional research field. Indeed, due to its high concentration in (poly)phenols – a family of molecules present in all plant-based foods and demonstrating benefits on various chronic diseases including cancer – numerous human trials have decided to investigate the potential of aronia on cardiovascular health. Indeed, several experiments have revealed the ability of aronia (poly)phenols to significantly improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels following daily consumption of aronia extract.

Recently, a study led by researchers from King’s College London examined the impact of the berry on arterial stiffness, a parameter increasing naturally with age and related to the rigidity of our blood vessels. Their study consisted in a human trial involving more than 100 healthy middle-aged men and women who took 1 capsule per day for 12 weeks, containing either aronia (poly)phenols or a placebo. Investigators performed some measurements including arterial stiffness at baseline and after the intervention, and they compared the results to evaluate the effects of the berry extract. After 12 weeks of intake, they observed that subjects consuming aronia (poly)phenols had significantly decreased arterial stiffness, implying an improvement of their cardiovascular health.

As cardiovascular diseases account for more than 25% of the overall deaths in the UK each year, the beneficial effects of aronia berry on vascular health could help relieve the socio-economic burden associated to the incidence of these pathologies. Besides, although aronia berries are not widely available in the UK yet, the same beneficial (poly)phenols can be found in various foods, from the blueberries you have for breakfast to a satisfying glass of red wine. A great excuse to increase your intake in (poly)phenols!

Lea Lortal (shortlisted)
Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences

Fighting a global health threat: fungal infections

Fungal infections affect 1 billion people worldwide and kill 1.5 million individuals every year. Yet, they are still extremely underestimated and understudied. Currently, there are no vaccines against fungal infections.

The most common human fungal infections are nail & skin infections, and thrush. They are treatable with antifungals, but can be distressing and there is no preventative treatment. Vaginal thrush is a major problem: 3 out of 4 women will suffer from it at least once in their lifetime. Many will also experience painful recurring episodes.

The main cause of thrush? The fungus Candida albicans.

Candida albicans is also responsible for severe bloodstream infections in people with a weakened immune system and hospitalised patients. These are extremely challenging to treat and reach mortality rates of 50%.

So, what kind of research is being done?

In 2016, researchers from the Naglik laboratory at King’s College London discovered a toxin produced by Candida albicans. The toxin physically and chemically damages human cells during an infection and causes inflammatory symptoms. They named it ‘candidalysin’.

Since then, research has been focused on understanding the exact mechanisms by which candidalysin damages human cells. By investigating how candidalysin works, we may be able to find ways to block its activity and thus decrease Candida albicans’ ability to cause diseases.

What are the next steps?

The discovery of candidalysin creates a new field of science, by being the first toxin of its kind to ever be discovered in a disease-causing fungus. Further research will allow us to better understand fungal diseases, and to develop novel diagnoses and therapies. Most importantly, this could also lead to the development of one of the first fungal vaccines ever.

Understanding candidalysin gives us hope to significantly reduce the suffering and death of millions of people worldwide.

King’s 3MT Grand Final 2021

20/04/2021 / Katie O'Keefe

Curie Kim

The King’s Three Minute Thesis Grand Final which took place on 31 March 2021 gave a fascinating insight into the exciting and broad research taking place at King’s.

A total of 28 PhD students across the King’s faculties took on the challenge of presenting their research to a lay audience within three minutes, using a single slide. This year the event was held entirely online and involved four faculty heats, from which eight finalists were selected to compete at a live Grand Final during the Spring PGR Induction.

Curie Kim was selected as the King’s winner and has been put forward for the Vitae National Quarter Finals. The King’s Judges said Curie’s attention-grabbing presentation was “top notch”, clearly explained, and her delivery was “impeccable”.

Curie is based in the Department of Basic & Clinical Neuroscience within the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, and her 3MT is titled The Positive Impact of Intermittent Fasting on Memory and the Brain.

Here are Curie’s thoughts on her King’s 3MT experience:

Having thought about taking part in the 3MT every year during my PhD and putting it off, this year was my last chance to do it and I’m so glad I did! It has truly been a fun experience, not to mention, thought-provoking in terms of the way it encourages you to think about how to communicate your work. Not only that, but it was fascinating to hear about the very diverse research being carried out within King’s outside of my field.

All the finalists were amazing, so I am feeling humbled and excited to be chosen as the winner to represent KCL at the National Finals. I would strongly encourage anyone who is thinking about it to take part next year!

Dan Cox

Daniel Cox, from the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, was the runner up this year as the judges were highly impressed with his ability to convey extremely complex research to a lay audience. Dan’s 3MT is titled Modification of HIV-1 for Human T Cell Gene Therapy.

The Three Minute Thesis competition was a great experience to try and break down my complex project which would normally span four years into a short period of time. It was challenging but rewarding as I now feel well equipped to explain my project easier to different audiences. It was also great to present to new coming PhD students and felt privileged to do so. Finally, it was a fantastic chance to get an understanding of the research going on outside my normal area of health sciences. I highly recommend people to have a go!

Nigel Eady, Director of Research Talent at King’s, and Chair of the Grand Final Judging Panel, said:

Engaging and inspiring people about a research topic is a real skill, especially if the audience knows little about the subject. Our 3 Minute Thesis finalists all did an excellent job in bringing their research to life – covering everything from nanoparticles to charity sector pay, gene therapy to social media. Curie Kim, our overall winner, gave a particularly clear & memorable presentation about the impact of fasting on memory and the brain, which left our judging panel wanting to know more. We wish Curie all the best as she goes forward to the national quarter finals.

Watch the King’s 3MT finalists’ presentations and read on to learn about their experiences and advice for future participants:

Jie Tang, Department of Imaging Chemistry and Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, Treat the Patients, Not the Numbers.

Jie Tang

I found it’s such a good chance to connect others with my work and many people helped me a lot! As a first-year international student, I valued the process of practicing my script again and again with different people. As long as I gained experiences from this competition, the result doesn’t really matter, and I highly encourage the new starters to participate, because I’m sure you’ll find it so much fun!

Linda Shuku, Economics, King’s Business School, Computational Text Analysis on Central Bank Communication.

Linda Shuku

I decided to take part in the competition to challenge myself. Indeed, it ended up being a truly unique and encouraging experience. I learned how to pitch my research work more effectively to a broad audience. Also, I immensely enjoyed hearing about the diverse range of research topics that my colleagues around the school are working on.

If you are willing to put some effort into polishing your presentation skills, as well as practice the way you communicate your research work, this competition is an amazing opportunity for you. I am glad I was part of it, and I am confident you will be too.

Laia Delgado Callico, Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, A Universal Signature in the Melting of Metallic Nanoparticles.

Laia Delgado Callico

I first heard about the 3MT during my induction, where the Grand Final also took place. I was so impressed with the high quality of the talks that I thought: I wish I would be able to do that. I am now in my final year, so this was my last opportunity to give it a try. I thought I had nothing to lose and decided to book a place for the faculty heat.

As a computational physicist doing basic research, I found it very difficult to make my science sound interesting to a broad audience, because my research has no direct applications. After all, what I essentially do is solve equations with my computer. The hardest part was to find a way to make my science approachable and relatable. I gave it a lot of thought, until I found a simple metaphor that I could use for my slide and as a starting point. Then, I just had to simplify my methods to a step-by-step recipe of how I achieved my results.

It has been a challenging experience that I have enjoyed a lot. I definitely recommend anyone to give it a try!

Lucy Chester, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Cannabis and Psychosis.

David Wreford, Human Resource Management and Employment Relations, King’s Business School, Maximising the Impact of Pay in the Voluntary Sector.

Fatimah Alqahtani, Department of Informatics, Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences, Can a Dot Help to Sort?

Learn about last year’s 3MT winner, Sogol Salamipour who went on to represent King’s at the Vitae National 3MT Competition Final in the blog post titled Sogol Salamipour to represent King’s at Vitae 3MT National Competition Final. You can also view the King’s 3MT finalists from 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Health Professional Researcher Profile: Ms Tootie Bueser

19/04/2021 / Katie O'Keefe

Ms Tootie (Teofila) Bueser, HEE/NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow and PhD Student at King’s College London

In this blog post we introduce you to one of our Health Professional Researchers (HPRs) at King’s, Tootie (Teofila) Bueser:

Tootie is in the fourth year of her PhD and is a HEE/NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellow
Tootie is a Registered Nurse, whose clinical specialty is Inherited Cardiac Conditions, and she is based at the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care
Tootie’s thesis title is Developing a psychoeducational intervention to support patients undergoing screening and/or predictive genetic testing for inherited cardiac conditions (the PISICC study)

Tootie, could you give us a brief summary of your route into a PhD, including previous research experience, and how this was funded?

I have always wanted to pursue a research career even as a nursing undergraduate. As a nurse who trained in a different country (the Philippines), I did not find a supportive environment for this when I started working in the UK. It wasn’t until I was mentored five years down the line by a senior nurse and championed by a cardiology consultant to pursue an MSc that the pathway to a clinical academic career became a possibility for me. I was then nurtured and supported in the cardiovascular and genetics departments at King’s College Hospital and Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital which gave me a taster for conducting primary research. I was also becoming more advanced in my clinical practice as a cardiac genetics nurse and identifying gaps in care where evidence was sparse and where I felt I could make a difference. With the guidance of my academic supervisors at KCL, I was able to develop a successful application for the NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship.

What are your long-term ambitions for your clinical academic career?

I have grand plans to set the standard for cardiac genetic nursing practice, have a research group of my own and forge international research collaborations focused on improving the care of patients and families affected by inherited cardiac conditions – maybe one day! I also want to inspire more nurses to pursue the clinical academic career pathway and be a good mentor for them.

What tips would you give to a clinician newly embarking on an out-of-programme research project, such as a PhD or MD(Res)?

I think it is important to have a good balance of research and clinical time. As nurses, we are already qualified so it is key to focus on honing research skills during the PhD but we also need to keep in mind what we need to maintain, or if needed increase, our clinical skills and knowledge. Do not lose touch with your clinical team and set up a patient and public group to guide your research so you are always aware of what is important to patients. Be out there, meet a range of people from different research backgrounds who will not only enhance your academic experience but perhaps turn out to be great collaborators on future projects. On a practical note, get your ethics application in early!

What support has been most helpful to you in terms of navigating your clinical academic career to date?

My academic supervisors have been great at supporting me through my PhD so choose well! It is also crucial that you get support from your clinical team/management as often as nurses, you must work with them to define your role post-PhD and how to make best use of your new skills. Also, find mentors outside your institution/profession as often they can be helpful in achieving your short-term goals and give you a broader view and opportunities for your clinical academic career.

Finally, I don’t think I could have survived this far without the support of my PhD peer group and we have helped each other navigate forms and regulations, I always have someone to lean on through all sorts of ups and downs and we cheer each other on with our successes. Doing a PhD can be quite isolating so having a peer group, alongside quality time with family and friends, counteracts this.

What is the most rewarding thing about being a Health Professional Researcher?

I think being a clinical academic gives you a mindset where you are always actively looking for ways to improve patient care and I think as a nurse, I have a unique insight on how patients experience care and cope with their condition. I find it really rewarding to be able to work collaboratively with patients to design and conduct research that is pertinent to them and to be able to impact on their care more widely that goes beyond an individual consultation.