Bioscientist Issue 2 - Determining Futures

THE SALFORD BIOMEDICINE SOCIETY MAGAZINE

MAY 2021 | ISSUE 2

DOES OUR GUT MICROBIOME AFFECT THE WAY WE THINK?

TO BE, OR NOT TO BE

CAREER STORIES

We said that we were excited to see this magazine grow and grow it has Now three times the size of the first issue with more students and more professionals lending their experience and talents issue 2 has become a reality ,

!

,

,

.

But not just the second issue we are pleased to now be launching a website dedicated to the magazine bioscientistmagazine.com where our writers can share their individual articles far and wide and all issues can be found in one place :

:

,

.

We hope to see this platform become a legacy for the magazine to continue to prosper as students graduate and new students take up the mantle As such we make a call to action join us We want this magazine to be an opportunity for as many students as possible to showcase their abilities .

,

:

!

.

When reflecting on this the theme for the issue became clear ,

:

Determining futures

How does a stem cell breakthrough determine the future of heart disease How can a student take the appropriate steps to determine their own future How will COVID 19 vaccination understanding and acceptance determine the future of the pandemic What determines one s health one s mind one s success ?

?

-

?

,

'

,

'

'

?

After all what is science if not just finding out what factors determine another Is bioscience not just the discovery of what determines life ,

?

?

Caitlin Owen and Nadia Patel CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

I

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

CONTENTS I

EDITORS' NOTE

BIOMEDICINE

2 SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

Covid 19 vaccines almost everything you need to know -

(

)

6 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Can fight or flight turn hair white

?

7 GIVING NEW LIFE

Using stem cells to regenerate beating heart cells

9 PARASITES: FRIEND OR FOE?

The little known ways in which parasites have benefitted humans

DR. JAMES'

13 DOES OUR GUT MICROBIOME

PHAGES

AFFECT THE WAY WE THINK?

The surprising gut microbiota brain axis -

-

15 LINKING AUTISM AND SUICIDE

The risk of suicide is increased in autism Is there a biological relationship

.

?

SALFORD SCIENCE

Exciting insight into ongoing Salford University research

20 FOR THE LOVE OF GLOBAL LINKING AUTISM AND SUICIDE

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

Abbie Storan discusses autism and its link to increased suicides and mental illnesses as she investigates a biological cause

Microbiology students answer frequently raised concerns about vaccination against SARS CoV 2

,

-

-

-

HEALTH

Salford microbiology research in Uganda

.

23 PROPHAGE-HOST INTERACTIONS Lifting the curtain on Pseudomonas puppet masters

'

-

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

II

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

CAREERS

27 CAREERS HUB UPDATE

Dr David Greensmith outlines the changes to Salford University s Career Hub .

'

CAREER PROFILES

We outline some of the career routes after a biomedicine degree and the benefits of joining one of the associated working groups at Salford

28 BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE CAREERS 29 RESEARCH CAREERS 30 GRADUATE-ENTRY MEDICINE, DENTISTRY OR PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE STUDIES

31 BIOMEDICINE TEACHING CAREERS 32 CAREER ADVICE: PRACTICAL GUIDE

BEING A BMS: DANNY GASKIN

TO A CAREER IN BIOMEDICINE

How to start planning your career and build a strong CV at uni

34 THE EMERGING ROLE OF A

PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE: INTERVIEW WITH A PA

We explain the new medical profession on the scene and interview PA Thomas Smyth ,

37 BEING A BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST: DANNY GASKIN

Senior Biomedical Scientist and Patient Blood Management Practitioner shares his career path and advice

40 TAHMINA HUSSAIN ON THE IBMS AND SECURING PLACEMENTS

BMS Team Manager and Blood Sciences Training Officer shares her tips on IBMS involvement as a student and placements

III

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

THE EMERGING ROLE OF A PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE

Patricia Medeiros explains this new role and interviews Thomas Smyth PA ,

THE IBMS AND SECURING IBMS PLACEMENTS

Tahmina Hussain shares tips for students on gettimg involved with the IBMS and placements

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

On the cover Zain Mirza prize winner :

STUDENTS

,

The Beauty Within

44 STUDENT ENGAGEMENT OFFICER STATEMENT

Dr Sara Namvar reflects on the year so far .

45 MY JOURNEY TO SALFORD: HUSSAM ALMAWAL

Salford student shares his journey from Syria to Salford and the Lighthouse Labs

47 SALFORD BMS APPRENTICESHIPS AND THE NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK AWARD

Congratulations to Christine Edgerton

!

49 COFFEE WITH CAROLINE

Biomedicine Programme Lead answers students wellbeing queries and concerns '

THE BIOMEDICINE SOCIETY

52 BIOMEDICINE SOCIETY PRESIDENT STATEMENT

Nadia Patel reflects on the Society this year and why students should participate BIOART

2020

:

SEE THE ART

53 EXHILIRATING EVENTS

Society Events Secretary reflects on the events and socials this year and outlines future plans

55 BIOMED BOOK CLUB

Book Club Leaders discuss the next book to be read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande :

57 PASSIONFLASH

Our public speaking competition fInals are here !

59 BIOART CLUB UPDATE

Winners of Bioart 2020 revealed and all beautiful entries displayed inside

NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK WIN: CHRISTINE EDGERTON

MY JOURNEY TO SALFORD: HUSSAM ALMAWAL

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

IV

TOPICS IN BIOMEDICINE Read about the benefit of parasites, stem cells put to use in heart disease, the link between autism and suicide, and more

SALFORD SCIENCE University of Salford's Dr. Richard Birtles and Dr. Chloe James share their research

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

If there is one thing that everyone has been talking about in 2021 it is vaccines It has been quite a year with the science advancing so quickly there have been many new accomplishments The year has seen the first ever mRNA vaccine get approval for public use after being developed and evaluated in less than 10 months making it the quickest vaccine to ever be created There have been huge clinical trials completed in record time for all approved vaccines and the UK has become the first country in the world to approve and start delivering COVID19 vaccines As of today there are three vaccines approved for use in the UK manufactured by Pfizer BioNTech Oxford AstraZeneca and Moderna This article explores some important topics regarding COVID19 vaccines and debunk conspiracy theories that may be preventing people from getting vaccinated ,

.

–

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

-

,

-

.

.

WHY IS A VACCINE AGAINST SARS-COV2 SO IMPORTANT?

Controlling the spread of COVID19 in an ethical manner is ultimately dependent on mass vaccination this is the only way the world can return to some degree of normalcy without resulting in excessive fatalities Vaccines are highly effective in preventing infection with SARS Cov2 the virus that causes COVID19 and getting vaccinated also provides protection to the people around you Also even if the vaccine does not prevent infection it can effectively prevent serious illness in the incidence of infection –

.

-

(

)

.

,

,

:

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

2

This explains why the first group to be offered vaccinations in the UK have been the elderly as they are most at risk of severe disease and death Reducing the amount of severe COVID19 cases is important because it reduces the strain on the NHS by keeping the number of patients at a manageable number ,

.

.

The outcomes of these clinical trials were encouraging if a bit confusing Clinical trials for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine involved 43 000 people which is much bigger than usual and indicated that it had an efficacy rate of 95 which means the proportion of vaccinated people in the trial who got SARS CoV2 infections was 95 lower than the proportion of unvaccinated people who got infected These results were very promising However protection against symptomatic COVID19 was even better only one person among the 1000s who were vaccinated got severe COVID19 ,

.

-

ARE ALL THE COVID19 VACCINES THE SAME?

,

(

)

No The technologies used in the three currently approved vaccines are quite different The Pfizer BionNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are mRNA vaccines for an explanation of how these work see the article Pfizer BioNTech COVID 19 vaccine explained by Nadia Patel in Issue 1 of Bioscientist Magazine !

.

-

–

,

‘

-

-

’

.

%,

-

%

.

.

,

–

.

The Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine is a viral vector vaccine in which a harmless adenovirus is genetically modified so that it expresses the SARS CoV2 spike protein on its surface When this is injected into the muscle of the upper arm it fools the body into thinking that it is being attacked by SARS CoV2 which triggers a strong immune response Adenovirus vectors are quite new but have previously been used successfully in a vaccine against Ebola virus and vaccines against Zika virus and HIV using this technology are in development /

“

”

-

.

,

-

.

,

.

The performance of this vaccine in the real world has also been proven a huge study 1 2 million people conducted in Israel showed that two doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine cut symptomatic cases by 94 across all age groups and severe illness by nearly as much The study also showed that a single shot of the vaccine a strategy currently used in the UK was 57 effective in protecting against symptomatic infections Clinical trials of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine which involved about 12 000 people indicated an efficiency rate of 70 in term of protecting against infection and importantly none of those vaccinated developed severe COVID that required hospitalisation “

”

;

-

( .

!)

-

%

,

.

(

)

%

.

/

,

,

,

%

ARE THE CURRENT VACCINES ANY GOOD?

,

At present only the Pfizer BioNTech and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines are in widespread use in the UK the Moderna vaccine should be rolled out until next month All these vaccines have been rigorously tested before being approved firstly to make sure they do not do any harm and secondly to quantify how good they are at preventing infection and disease ,

-

/

;

.

,

,

,

.

So overall these vaccines are good at stopping you from becoming ill and because they also reduce the risk of people being infected and therefore infectious they are having a positive impact on the epidemiology of the COVID19 curbing the pandemic ,

,

,

,

,

.

.

WHAT ARE CLINICAL TRIALS?

There has been some uneasiness about the speed with which the COVID19 vaccine trials were completed so does this mean that they cut corners To evaluate this the mechanisms of these trials need to be considered There are three phases to a clinical i e human trial but before these can start new vaccines are tested in the laboratory -

?

,

:

( .

,

.

3

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

.

)

,

In Phase I the vaccine is given to a small group of adult volunteers around hundred to see if it generates an immune response and to make sure there are not any unexpected side effects In Phase 2 the vaccine is administered to a larger number of volunteers several hundreds and monitored for possible potential side effects and to ensure an immune response is generated consistently in all people regardless of age and sex In Phase III thousands of volunteers are recruited see above with about half of participants receiving the vaccine and half a placebo allowing thorough assessment of the vaccine s efficiency ,

(

-

)

.

,

(

)

,

.

,

(

),

,

’

.

The outputs of phases 2 and 3 must provide evidence of successful prevention of the disease if the vaccine is going to be approved for use This approval is not given by politicians but by an independent group of scientists called the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency They carefully review all the data from clinical trials before deciding if the vaccine is both effective and safe .

,

.

.

The time taken to trial and approve COVID19 vaccines seemed like a short period but this was made possible because unprecedented resources were provided for the process It is truly incredible to witness the achievements of readily available funding combined with willpower and collaboration ,

.

.

WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO VACCINE ROLL OUT?

By the end of February about 30 of the population of the UK will have received at least one dose of a COVID19 vaccine that is about 20 million people Despite this success there are many reports of people refusing the vaccine so why is this %

–

!

,

,

?

Firstly many people fear injections a fear which is termed trypanophobia and affects about 10 of people However most vaccine refusers appear to worry about the safety of the vaccine particularly that it may have long term side effects that are not yet recognised These fears are heightened by the fact that both vaccines use relatively new technology ,

–

“

%

”

.

,

-

.

,

mRNA and adenovirus vectors However history can testify that vaccines in general are safe billions and billions of people around the planet have been vaccinated against a range of diseases In the UK millions of adults get flu vaccines every year so maybe 20 or 30 in their lifetime with no side effects And this vaccine has been used for about 70 years now without long term side effects emerging The health authorities constantly monitor COVID19 vaccinations to check for side effects through the yellow card system The most recent analysis of these data based on 5 4 million people who received their first dose of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine showed that about 17 000 yellow cards had been reported but only for side effects such as a sore arm headache fatigue etc These symptoms and the rate at which they have been reported are no different to those for other well accepted vaccines (

).

,

–

!

,

,

,

,

.

-

.

“

”.

,

-

.

,

,

“

”

,

,

,

.

,

,

-

.

Conspiracy theories are also hindering vaccine roll out The theory that is currently gaining most attention is that vaccination could cause infertility This theory is based on apparent similarity between the SARS CoV2 spike protein and syncytin 1 a protein found in the placenta and theorises that antibodies produced against the spike protein in vaccines will cross react with syncytin 1 and provoke immune mediated damage to the placenta However a closer look at the apparent similarity between the two proteins reveals that it is nowhere near sufficient to provoke immunological cross reaction Indeed there are numerous other proteins in the body such as collagen and haemoglobin that are just as similar to the spike protein as syncytin 1 i e not very Conspiracy theories about vaccines are not new the most infamous is the Andrew Wakefield study in the 1990s that linked the MMR vaccine to autism Although this study has been repeatedly disproven and Wakefield struck off after being shown to have misrepresented his data media coverage of his claims provoked widespread vaccine refusal that resulted in the re emergence of measles mumps and rubella in the UK with some fatalities highlighting the harm conspiracy theories can have if they are amplified by popular newspapers or social media -

.

.

-

- ,

,

-

-

-

.

,

-

.

,

-

( .

.

).

-

.

,

“

”

,

-

,

,

–

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

4

WHAT ARE SARS-COV2 VARIANTS AND DO THEY THREATEN THE SUCCESS OF VACCINATION?

SARS CoV2 is an RNA virus which means its genetic information is stored on RNA not DNA like in most organisms The enzyme that copies RNA during reproduction is far less accurate than the enzyme that copies DNA so RNA viruses have very high mutation rates that lead to lots of genetic variation occurring very quickly -

,

(

.

,

.

Knowledge on the diversity of SARS CoV2 is readily available because many countries have been sequencing viral genomes It is also known that 1000s of mutations have occurred over the last 12 months However most of these mutations do not affect the behaviour of the virus but there are some important exceptions that are referred to as variants -

.

.

,

–

“

.”

Mutations have occurred in the genes of these variants which encode the spike proteins These result is the production of spike proteins with an altered shape making the variant more transmissible and or more efficient at invading cells in the lungs .

,

/

.

The two most infamous variants are the Kent variant B 1 1 7 and the South African variant B 1 351 (

(

. .

. . .

)

).

The SARS CoV2 spike protein is the target of human antibodies that mediate the immune system killing the virus and it may be that some antibodies produced in response to the vaccine will not recognise the variant spike protein resulting in a potential decrease in the effectiveness of the vaccines against these variants Results of early studies addressing this possibility for the Kent and South African variants suggest the efficiency current vaccines may indeed be compromised particularly against the South African variant -

,

,

.

,

.

So does this mean that vaccination will soon be worthless Not really but it does mean that a vaccine based strategy for controlling COVID19 requires seasonal annual boosters These boosters can be re engineered to match whatever SARS CoV2 variants are dominant each year just as happens now with the flu vaccine The technology to do this re engineering is already available so this strategy should not be a problem The challenge is simply accepting the notion that that life will have to continue alongside SARS CoV2 rather than eradicate it completely ,

?

,

-

/

.

-

-

,

.

-

,

.

-

.

5

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

,

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

An old tale going back to the 1789-1799 French revolution says that Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, was sentenced to the guillotine after being accused of treason, it is said that her hair turned white overnight. It is believed that the stress caused by being sentenced to death resulted in the change of Marie’s hair color.

Although the story may seem farfetched, research suggests that high levels of stress can indeed change the hair to a white color.

Recently a team of researchers led by Bing Zhang from the Harvard University Stem cell institute identified a mechanism that links hyperactivation of the sympathetic nervous system and a rise in norepinephrine to a reduction of stem cells that specifically regenerate pigment in the hair follicles of mice It was clearly noted this linkage turns hair white ,

,

.

¹.

"For the longest time it's been said that stress makes the hair turn white, but until now there was no scientific basis for this belief. Our study proved that the phenomenon does indeed occur, and we identified the mechanisms involved. In addition, we discovered a way of interrupting the process of hair color loss due to stress"

This then led to the researchers to expand the focus of the experiment to the entire sympathetic nervous system SNS which directly impacts the fight or flight response in both humans and mice The experiments involved the use of a dark furred mouse and it was noted that the SNS can touch every mouse hair follicle When pain induced stress was applied it triggered a fight or flight response from the mice in the autonomic nervous system that caused a rise in norepinephrine levels This rise in norepinephrine then disabled the pigment regeneration ability of the stem cells present in the hair follicle (

),

.

.

-

,

-

-

.

-

.

“Acute stress, particularly the fight-orflight response, has been traditionally viewed to be beneficial for an animal’s survival. But in this case, acute stress causes permanent depletion of stem cells.”

- Lead author Bing Zhang

This research paper was widely praised within the scientific community in 2020 The significance of these findings can be expanded past hair follicles and allow scientists globally to better understand how acute stress can impact other tissues and organs within the human body This perhaps allowing for different treatments of known conditions treatments that can reduce the impact of stress on our bodies .

.

,

,

,

.

- Co-author Thiago Mattar Cunha

When the researchers involved in this study first tried to figure out why acute stress can cause gray hair the stress hormone cortisol was expected to be the main causative factor for the loss of hair colour because stress elevates levels of the hormone cortisol in the body But it came as a surprise to the researchers that once the adrenal gland from the mice was removed so that they could not produce cortisol the hair still turned grey under stress This suggested that cortisol was not a main causative factor in the hair turning gray

Stress turns hair white: Comparison of representative control mouse with black fur (left) to a representative mouse subject to sustained stress for several months (Right)1.

,

,

.

,

.

References 1. Zhang B, Ma S, Rachmin I, et al. Hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves drives depletion of melanocyte stem cells. Nature.

2020;577(7792):676-681. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-1935-3

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

6

BY MUHAMMED DIN Heart disease, linked with a sedentary lifestyle, consuming junk food and smoking, is a leading cause of death accounting for 31% of global mortality.

With so many people suffering with heart disease and current therapeutics being inadequate in replacing damaged myocardium, advances in regenerative medicine may offer a means to improve clinical practice.

What if we could regenerate heart cells to replace those damaged in heart disease patients?

The human heart is 70 80 cardiomyocytes heart muscle cells These contain myofibrils which house the fundamental contractile units responsible for muscle contraction called sarcomeres Loss of cardiomyocytes contributes to disease progression in heart failure -

(

%

.

).

,

Induced pluripotent stem cells iPSC are generated from somatic cells harvested from a patient and converted to stem cells allowing for autologous transplantation thereby reducing the need for immunosuppressants (

,

,

.

From their induced stem cell state iPSCs can be converted into any type of cell present in the adult human body pluripotency When appropriately stimulated in vitro iPSCs undergo differentiation becoming cardiomyocytes appropriate for tissue engineering or 3D bioprinting for transplantation purposes This scientific discovery has generated a new practice of converting iPSCs to heart cells which can be placed into a damaged heart ,

(

,

¹.

.

,

¹.

Cardiomyocyte damage correlates with socioeconomic factors which inevitably cause morbidity and mortality The role of social factors contributing to congenital heart disease CHD in developed countries in not well documented but a large population based study conducted in Sweden has shown that the incidence of CHD increases in deprived neighbourhoods ¹-².

)

,

-

³.

There may also be genetic factors An example of an inherited cardiac disease is long QT syndrome LQTS an autosomal dominant disorder affecting 1 1000 live births associated with 500 different mutations in 15 different genes Patients show prolonged repolarisation phases the period of time where heart muscle is regaining electrical potential after contraction which may predispose them to potentially life threatening Torsade s de pointe otherwise known as ventricular arrhythmias Mutations commonly arise in KCNQ1 and KCNH2 gene causing LQTS1 and LQTS2 respectively⁴ .

(

),

:

,

.

(

)

-

’

,

.

,

7 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

).

,

.

(

)

.

Artwork by Zohaib Atlaf

In recent times widespread use of 3D culture models in scientific research has enabled the experimental modelling of beating heart cells These cultures give a physiological environment for cells to thrive in thus allowing the generation of cardiomyocytes from iPSCs These generated cells are morphologically and functionally like the real thing ,

.

,

.

!

A hydrogel based cardiac patch was developed with self morphing properties This gave a stretchable patch with fibre like arrangements and mechanical features of a human heart From here regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy could expand even further -

-

.

-

.

,

¹.

Many methods have been adopted in regenerative medicine to generate functional sheets appropriate for use in transplantation an advancement which may eventually remove the need for organ donors Organ transplantation carries a risk of organ rejection as the immune system discerns the new organ as not being of self origin triggering autoimmunity

,

.

-

,

.

Studies have demonstrated the role of innate cells in transplant rejection they have been shown to contribute to both graft rejection and acceptance Transplant rejection takes place in a number of steps involving the rejection response allograft rejection leading to :

.

:

recruitment of innate cells and cytokines stimulating immune cells Thereafter graft destruction is initiated by T cells and non T cells⁵ .

-

.

3D bioprinting has brought forth new potential for the use of bioengineering in providing new and enhanced technologies for the regeneration of cardiomyocytes thus allowing the addition of cells and biomaterials to a well organised structure Using this cutting edge approach iPSC derived cardiomyocytes have been bio printed into vascularized cardiac tissue and transplanted into a defective heart As well as this 3D bioprinting was used to embed supporting cells into a defective heart for instance fibroblasts and vascular cells leading to improved therapeutic outcomes in mice ,

.

-

,

-

.

,

,

,

.

As a result of this a fully functional patch was created with expected action potential and electrical conduction as observed in a fully functional heart ,

¹.

The ending of the decade came forth with a breakthrough in stem cell therapy where we witnessed two Chinese men becoming the first to receive iPSCs therapy for heart disease⁶ This laid down the foundation for innovation and breakthrough in regenerative medicine for decades to come shaping medicine for future generations -

.

.

References 1. Wang K-L, Xue Q, Xu X-H, Hu F, Shao H. Recent progress in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived 3D cultures for cardiac regeneration. Cell Tissue Res. Published online February 5, 2021. doi:10.1007/s00441-021-03414-x 2. Psaltopoulou T, Hatzis G, Papageorgiou N, Androulakis E, Briasoulis A, Tousoulis D. Socioeconomic status and risk factors for cardiovascular disease: Impact of dietary mediators. Hell J Cardiol. 2017;58(1):32-42. doi:10.1016/j.hjc.2017.01.022 3. Peyvandi S, Baer RJ, Chambers CD, et al. Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors Influence the Live‐Born Incidence of Congenital Heart Disease: A Population‐Based Study in California.

J Am Heart Assoc.

2020;9(8). doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015255 4. van Mil A, Balk GM, Neef K, et al. Modelling inherited cardiac disease using human induced pluripotent stem cellderived cardiomyocytes: progress, pitfalls, and potential.

Cardiovasc Res. 2018;114(14):1828-1842. doi:10.1093/cvr/cvy208 5. Liu W, Li XC. An overview on non-T cell pathways in transplant rejection and tolerance. Curr Opin Organ Transplant.

2010;15(4):422-426. doi:10.1097/MOT.0b013e32833b7903 6. Mallapaty S. Revealed: two men in China were first to receive pioneering stem-cell treatment for heart disease.

Nature. 2020;581(7808):249-250. doi:10.1038/d41586-02001285-w

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

8

BY MUHAMMED AMLA

Accounting for nearly 40 of all species on Earth parasites are organisms which survive and reproduce by forming symbiotic relationships with other organisms known as hosts in this relationship which benefit the parasite and generally harm the host Many parasites cause death and disease but they also have helpful roles in health industry crime and agriculture %

¹,

(

)

UK rapeseed oil production is hindered by midges Several wasp parotoids such as the Platygaster subuliformis attack these midges killing up to 75 of their larvae⁵ This non chemical control of pests not only reduces damage to farmland but also to health of the farmers Indeed it is widely accepted that long term pesticide exposure is linked to Parkinson s disease asthma depression ADHD anxiety and cancers⁶ .

,

,

%

.

-

,

.

,

-

’

,

,

,

,

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

WHY ARE PARASITES IMPORTANT? While they are not holidaying in your guts or using their host as live cocoons², parasites can actually be greatly beneficial, from improving agriculture to triggering major evolutionary changes: FARMING

With an estimated 20 40 of global agriculture lost to insects parasites may offer a far more effective solution than damaging farmlands with costly pesticides Parasitoids are insects behaving like parasites that kill their hosts in the process with many naturally preying on crop pests -

%

Figure 1: Monarch survival to adulthood when exposed to the protozoan parasite, fly alone, and the protozoan and fly combined¹⁰

,

.

³, .

One example is the Aphidius ervi a parasitic wasp that lays its eggs in aphids turning the aphids into a parasitised mummy⁴ Within 2 weeks the offspring eat their way out of the aphid searching for more aphids and perpetuating the cycle ,

,

.

,

,

.

BOOSTING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Being infected is not always a terrible thing In some cases it can supply more benefits such as increased protection in hosts from infection by pathogens Enterococcus faecali a mildly pathogenic bacteria living in worms can evolve rapidly to protect their hosts from more lethal infections⁷ This blurs the line between parasitic relationships where the parasite feeds from the host while causing harm and mutualistic relationships where the parasite and host both provide benefits to each other .

,

.

,

,

.

,

,

,

.

9 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

,

There are two forms of protection a parasite can provide to its hosts resistance and tolerance⁸ Parasites that provide resistance reduce the likelihood of other species infecting For example bacteria in the gut resist the invasion of non native species This specific example is also known as colonisation resistance⁹ Meanwhile parasites providing tolerance reduce the harm of another invading species For example when Monarch Butterfly Larvae are inoculated with Ophryocystis elektroscirrha a virulent protozoan parasite they have a higher chance of survival when attacked by the lethal parasitoid fly Lespesia archippivora than if exposed to the parasitoid alone Figure 1 ⁰ :

,

.

.

,

-

.

.

,

.

,

,

,

,

,

(

)¹ .

Research has shown that when infected with an intestinal worm the number of lymphoid follicles microscopic compartments storing B cells which produce antibodies against pathogens in mice increased ,

(

,

)

.

The body naturally produces more B cells to increase antibody production in response to an infection but it does not typically increase the number of lymphoid follicles However upon infection with intestinal worms a cytokine molecule IL 4 is produced which stimulates B cells to produce lymphotoxin This then interacts with stromal cells which produce another cytokine CXCL13 stimulating follicle production in the lymph nodes ,

.

,

,

(

-

)

.

,

(

)

¹¹.

B cell follicle formation was previously thought to only occur during the post natal period immediately after birth but this research showed that this process can also occur in adult mammals in the event of a worm infection While it is not recommended to use intestinal worms directly to boost the immune system it is important to note that they do strengthen the immune system uniquely and this may shape novel research and ultimately treatment strategies in the future -

(

),

¹².

,

.

Another study involving amphibian hosts and trematode parasites displayed how parasite richness not only dampens pathogen transmission but also inhibits the spread of Ribeiroia ondatrae a deadly parasite which causes limb malformations in amphibians ,

,

¹³.

DRIVING EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE

While there are a wide variety of other factors that influence evolutionary change and diversity it can be said that parasitic organisms could also have played a key role It is important to note that the following are mainly theories with many other factors contributing towards evolutionary change as opposed to exclusively or mainly parasites ,

.

,

,

.

It is hypothesised that parasites drive organisms to become more diverse and complex .

Microscope image of toxoplasmosis in myocardium caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii ,

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

10

The constant evolutionary arms race between the two promote increased defences by the host against the parasite meanwhile the parasite increases its effectiveness to infect its host Using computer programs and parasitic programs in a simulation it demonstrated how diverse lineages arise from the coevolution of hosts and parasites encouraging then to form complex traits ⁴ Similar demonstrations with bacteria ⁵ also indicate the importance of parasites showing a noticeable effect on population dynamics and evolution ,

.

,

,

¹ .

¹

,

.

PARASITES AND SEX

² .

,

,

²¹.

.

Another countermeasure to protect the brain against behavioural changes by parasites is an increase in the amount of neurochemicals required to induce responses Some parasites release neurochemicals to alter behaviour the more required to create a response the greater metabolic cost on the parasite Due to the generally large size difference between host and parasite it renders the attack ineffective The relentless pressure from the increasing brain size through the course of human evolution could have led to parasites adopting alternative strategies .

Another hypothesis is parasites could have influenced the existence of sexual reproduction One advantage gained from shuffling genes and producing genetically diverse offspring is surviving parasites more effectively The presence of parasites can encourage the constant genetic turnover and force hosts to keep evolving ⁶ .

,

,

.

¹ .

An experiment conducted with worms and parasites displayed how selfing populations were wiped out within 20 generations as opposed to outcrossing populations which persisted throughout the experiment ⁷ Male snails also start to disappear from the population in areas where parasites are rare favouring asexual reproduction over sexual due to the substantial costs of sexual reproduction ⁸ ,

¹ .

,

,

¹ .

Certain parasites have been known to manipulate host behaviour for example Toxoplasma gondii which diminishes a rodent s predator evasion around cats turning it into an easy meal Other examples include rabies and some sexually transmitted pathogens have been known to influence sexual behaviour It can be suggested that the human central nervous system has evolved to be incredibly complex as a protective countermeasure against parasites that influence behaviour ,

,

’

,

.

,

.

.

The blood brain barrier is a first line defence from pathogens and toxins present within the bloodstream ⁹ In the constant arms race ¹ .

,

Malaria causing Plasmodium parasites spread by mosquito bite are known to cause positive selection for sickle cell disease which provides resistance against Malaria ,

,

,

11 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

,

,

.

,

.

²².

Rather than the parasites directly attaching and physically affecting the brain some parasites like Ophiocordyceps unilateralis almost never touch the brain yet precisely control insect behaviour ,

,

²³.

Another advantage of increasing brain size is developing higher levels of protective complexity meaning they can take more damage while maintaining normal functionality and behaviour For this reason mind controlling parasites are more commonly seen in insects Increasing neuro signalling complexity with the use of a range of receptors neurochemicals and timed pulses closes off a parasite s attacking options While more complex signals have an increased metabolic cost it is disproportionately more expensive for parasites forcing other means of manipulation ,

.

PARASITES AND THE BRAIN

-

there are other parasites that have evolved to pass the barrier using white blood cells and monocytes as a mode of transport ⁰ Some parasites can cleverly manipulate behaviour externally for example Toxoplasma gondii increases dopamine a behaviour altering substance Others can secrete different hormones and activate specific immune responses to manipulate their host to complete their life cycle or leach resources

.

,

.

-

,

,

,

,

’

.

,

,

²².

References 1. Dobson A, Lafferty KD, Kuris AM, Hechinger RF, Jetz W. Homage to linnaeus: How many parasites? How many hosts? In: In the Light of Evolution. Vol 2. National Academies Press (US); 2008:63-82. doi:10.17226/12501 2. Gabbatiss J. Prehistoric parasitic wasps found frozen inside fossilised victims named “Xenomorphia” after terrifying creature in Alien films.

The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/wasp-parasitefossil-discovery-insects-x-rays-a8511316.html. Published 2018.

Accessed February 25, 2021.

3. Natural History Museum. Positive parasites. Published 2016.

Accessed February 25, 2021. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/positive-parasites.html 4. Dragonfli. Aphid Parasite Wasp - Aphidius colemani. Published 2018.

Accessed February 25, 2021. https://www.dragonfli.co.uk/products/aphid-parasite-waspaphidius-colemani 5. AHDB. Encyclopaedia of pests and natural enemies in field crops. Published online 2016. Accessed February 25, 2021. https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/media/524972/g62-encyclopaediaof-pests-and-natural-enemies-in-field-crops.pdf 6. PAN. Impacts of pesticides on our health. Published 2021.

Accessed February 25, 2021. https://www.pan-uk.org/healtheffects-of-pesticides/ 7. King KC, Brockhurst MA, Vasieva O, et al. Rapid evolution of microbe-mediated protection against pathogens in a worm host.

ISME J. 2016;10(8):1915-1924. doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.259 8. Ashby B. Parasites inside your body could be protecting you from disease. The Conversation. Published 2017. Accessed February 25, 2021. https://theconversation.com/parasitesinside-your-body-could-be-protecting-you-from-disease-83068 9. Pickard JM, Zeng MY, Caruso R, Núñez G. Gut microbiota: Role in pathogen colonization, immune responses, and inflammatory disease. Immunol Rev. 2017;279(1):70-89. doi:10.1111/imr.12567 10. Sternberg ED, Lefèvre T, Rawstern AH, de Roode JC. A virulent parasite can provide protection against a lethal parasitoid.

Infect Genet Evol.

2011;11(2):399-406. doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2010.11.017 11. Dubey LK, Lebon L, Mosconi I, et al. Lymphotoxin-Dependent B Cell-FRC Crosstalk Promotes De Novo Follicle Formation and Antibody Production following Intestinal Helminth Infection. Cell Rep. 2016;15(7):1527-1541. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2016.04.023

12. ScienceDaily. Intestinal worms boost immune system in a surprising way. Published 2016. Accessed January 1, 2021. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/1605051350 32.htm 13. Johnson PTJ, Preston DL, Hoverman JT, LaFonte BE. Host and parasite diversity jointly control disease risk in complex communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2013;110(42):16916-16921. doi:10.1073/pnas.1310557110 14. Zaman L, Meyer JR, Devangam S, Bryson DM, Lenski RE, Ofria C. Coevolution Drives the Emergence of Complex Traits and Promotes Evolvability. Keller L, ed. PLoS Biol.

2014;12(12):e1002023. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002023 15. Betts A, Gifford DR, MacLean RC, King KC. Parasite diversity drives rapid host dynamics and evolution of resistance in a bacteria-phage system. Evolution. 2016;70(5):969-978. doi:10.1111/evo.12909 16.

Jones L. What would happen if all the parasites disappeared? BBC. Published 2015. Accessed January 1, 2021. http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20150127-what-if-all-thepests-vanished 17. Morran LT, Schmidt OG, Gelarden IA, Parrish RC, Lively CM. Running with the Red Queen: Host-Parasite Coevolution Selects for Biparental Sex. Science. 2011;333(6039):216-218. doi:10.1126/science.1206360 18. Lively CM. Trematode infection and the distribution and dynamics of parthenogenetic snail populations. Parasitology.

2001;123(SUPPL.):S19-26. doi:10.1017/s0031182001008113 19. Götz J. Explainer: what is the blood-brain barrier and how can we overcome it? The Conversation. Published 2017.

Accessed January 1, 2021. https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-bloodbrain-barrier-and-how-can-we-overcome-it-75454 20. Masocha W, Kristensson K. Passage of parasites across the blood-brain barrier.

Virulence.

2012;3(2):202-212. doi:10.4161/viru.19178 21. Prandovszky E, Gaskell E, Martin H, Dubey JP, Webster JP, McConkey GA. The Neurotropic Parasite Toxoplasma Gondii Increases Dopamine Metabolism. PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e23866. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023866 22. Packham C. Did parasite manipulation influence human neurological evolution? Phys.org. Published 2019. Accessed January 1, 2021. https://phys.org/news/2019-08-parasitehuman-neurological-evolution.html 23. Yong E. How the Zombie Fungus Takes Over Ants’ Bodies to Control Their Minds. The Atlantic. Published 2017. Accessed January 1, 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/howthe-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-theirminds/545864/

Malaria causing Plasmodium parasites visible in red blood cells on a blood film -

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

12

BY BRUCE VELOSO

Trillions of microorganisms inhabit the human body at any one time collectively known as the microbiome The largest proportion of the microbiome more than 100 million microorganisms is in the human gut up to 100 times the number of eukaryotic cells in the body ,

.

(

)

–

¹.

Dietary content directly affects the composition of the gut microbiome For example it was shown that the composition of gut bacteria present in Europeans is significantly different from that of Africans a phenomenon which may be attributed to the differences in their regular eating habits It was observed that the gut bacteria present in Europeans was mainly composed of the Bacteroides enterotype In contrast to this the African gut microbiome was mainly composed of Prevotella enterotype .

,

,

².

.

,

.

Furthermore Wu et al observed from examination of stool samples from 98 people that Bacteroides spp are mainly associated with a diet high in animal fat whereas Prevotella spp are closely associated with a diet high in carbohydrates ,

.

.

,

.

².

Zhu et al explain that after many years of co existence some gut bacteria including six predominant phyla of Firmicutes Bacteroidetes Proteobacteria Actinomycetes Verrucomicrobia and Fusobacteria have developed a symbiotic relationship with humans by forming a large portion of the gut microbiome and helping us with a multitude of tasks such as digesting food and preventing growth of pathogenic bacteria .

-

,

–

,

,

,

,

,

–

‘

’

¹.

However the influence of the gut microbiome extends far further than previously believed The gut and the brain form the gut brain axis where changes in either organ directly impact the other Experimental evidence suggests that the multiform interactions between the gut and brain likely contribute to several neurological and mental illnesses such as depression Alzheimer s disease and schizophrenia ,

.

‘

-

’,

.

,

,

¹.

13 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

'

Here are a few examples

:

Microorganisms in the gut can affect the brain of the host organism by regulating the brain derived neurotrophic factor BDNF a nerve growth agent which supports and differentiates neurons and N methyl D aspartate NMDA an amino acid that acts as an agonist copying the action of glutamate a neurotransmitter receptors Changes in BDNF expression are associated with cognitive dysfunction of patients suffering from schizophrenia Interestingly when the expression of NMDA receptors in a host is enhanced symptoms are relieved and cognitive ability improves -

(

,

)

(

-

-

-

,

,

,

)

¹.

¹.

,

,

¹.

Additionally studies have shown that the microbiota can influence the central nervous system by altering hippocampal neurogenesis process in which new nerve growth takes place in the hippocampus According to Zhu et al the hippocampus and lateral ventricle areas of the brain have an important function in learning and memory and therefore

can influence the pathogenesis of neurological disorders and symptoms in conditions such as epilepsy depression Alzheimer s disease and Parkinson s disease ,

'

,

’

¹.

Intriguingly 95 of serotonin a neurotransmitter mainly associated with mood and emotion is produced in the gut and microorganisms present in the gut may be essential for its production in sterile mice serotonin production was reduced to 60 Certain compositions of the gut microbiota may promote the development of depressive disorders It is fascinating to speculate that we may be able to treat depression and related health conditions using specific food types or even by faecal replacement therapy ,

%

,

,

,

:

,

%¹.

.

.

,

(

)¹.

,

,

References 1. Zhu X, Han Y, Du J, Liu R, Jin K, Yi W. Microbiota-gut-brain axis and the central nervous system. Oncotarget.

2017;8(32):53829-53838. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.17754 2. Wu GD, Chen J, Hoffmann C, et al. Linking Long-Term Dietary Patterns with Gut Microbial Enterotypes. Science.

2011;334(6052):105-108. doi:10.1126/science.1208344

Scanning electron micrograph of bacteria cultured from a human faecal sample.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

14

BY ABBIE STORAN

Around 800 000 people lose their lives to suicide each year The World Health Organisation propose that for every person lost to suicide there will be 20 more attempting suicide Autistic people are 7 55 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population Approximately 1 of the population is Autistic but many will remain undiagnosed1 ,

.

,

.

.

.

%

,

.

When you consider a relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder Mental Illness and Suicide you will not fall short for evidence relating to the psychological nature of their connection Such as the JAMA network report published this January which states that Autistic people have a more than 3 fold higher rate of suicide attempt and suicide than neurotypical individuals and that over 90 of people with ASD who attempted or died by suicide had another comorbid mental health condition2 But what if we want to go deeper can we establish a biological explanation for why Autistic people are at such an exaggerated risk of mental illness suicidal ideation and death from suicide compared to the Neurotypical population ,

,

.

,

“

-

,

%

.

;

,

,

?

15

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

WHAT IS AUTISM?

STUDIES ADULTS,

Autistic Spectrum Disorder ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition which affects how a person experiences the world around them how they perceive others and the way in which they communicate With ASD everything is different and everyone is different Due to the phenotypic heterogeneity as well as the accompanying differences in things like brain connectivity it has been extremely hard for research to completely describe ASD neurobiology However promising progress is being made with identifying the molecular pathways underpinning ASD With the increasing success in neuroimaging data and genetic analysis it is likely we could see breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of ASD and co morbidities in the future [

SUGGEST

THAT

OF

AUTISTIC

]

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

8/10 ALSO SUFFER MENTAL ILLNESS

.

,

³.

,

-

.

Before exploring the biology of ASD and Suicide we should make note of the psychiatric evidence for relationships between ASD and Mental Illness In 2017 AUTISTICA the UK s leading Autism research charity partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Alliance They produced a report wherein it was mentioned that depression is present in 30 50 of adults with Autism⁴ Meanwhile in a meta analysis of 21 797 Autistic participants 11 8 of were also diagnosed with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders⁵ Another large scale meta analysis of 26 070 people with ASD reported that the prevalence of co morbid Anxiety Disorders was 42 This same study also reported the lifetime prevalence of OCD within participants was 22 ⁶

66% HAVE THOUGHTS

,

EXPERIENCED

SUICIDAL

.

–

’

–

.

-

%

.

-

.

,

,

%

35% SUICIDE

.

-

-

,

-

%.

% .

In the UK there are approximately 500 000 adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder ASD Eight in ten of these adults will also suffer from mental illness⁷ From a study of 374 adults with ASD researchers found that 66 had experienced suicidal thoughts and 35 had attempted suicide ,

(

).

.

%

,

%

¹.

HAVE

ATTEMPTED

GENETIC LINKS BETWEEN MENTAL ILLNESS AND AUTISM

Thanks to a fascinating review of genetic associations with psychiatric disorders from Andrade et al we can now outline a direct biological relationship between ASD Depression and Anxiety⁸ This connection is facilitated by the dysfunction of genes encoding voltage gated calcium channels CaVs CaV1 2 and CaV1 3 encourage neuronal firing and also couple excitation to gene expression studies show this activity is linked to a number of psychiatric disorders In particular CaV1 3 is encoded by CACNA1D genes which have been associated with conditions such as ASD Major Depressive Disorder Schizophrenia ADHD and Bipolar Disorder Andrade et al report that The non coding SNP rs893363 located in the 3 UTR of CACNA1D and the putative promoter region of the choline dehydrogenase gene was found in a genome wide analysis of these five major psychiatric disorders ⁸ ,

,

,

.

-

(

).

.

.

;

.

.

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

“

-

,

’

-

” .

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

16

We can go on to consider the roles of Cortisol and the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis HPA in relation to Autism and Suicide Cortisol is colloquially referred to as the stress hormone stress is a known biological and psychological response to experiencing threatening stimuli The effect of acute stress is the Fight or Flight response wherein the Hypothalamus stimulates the adrenal medulla to secrete adrenaline which decreases activity of the parasympathetic nervous system while increasing activity of the sympathetic nervous system Meanwhile chronic stress is regulated by the HPA axis⁹ Secretion of cortisol is controlled by actions of the paraventricular nuclei in the hypothalamus Those nuclei secrete Corticotrophin Releasing Factor to the pituitary leading to the release of Adrenocorticotropic hormone into the bloodstream which stimulates cortisol synthesis and release from the adrenal glands The HPA axis is under direct circadian regulation by the hypothalamic body clock leading to diurnal rhythms in all components including cortisol ⁰ -

(

-

)

.

‘

’,

.

,

–

.

.

.

-

,

.

,

Many studies on post mortem brain samples from neurotypical people who died by suicide and those who died by other means have highlighted higher concentrations of corticotropin releasing hormone suggesting that people who commit suicide biologically possess higher levels of cortisol thus higher levels of stress This has been supported by a particularly interesting study by McGowan et al in 2009 outlining the direct role of the HPA axis in suicide -

,

-

¹²;

,

.

,

.

From observations of the hypothalamus in people who died from suicide they found evidence of hypermyelination as well as reduced expression of the NR3C1 gene a glucocorticoid receptor responsible for weakening cortisol signalling compared to their control group of people who had died by other means Their work also revealed that early life adversity can have lifelong detrimental effects on function of the HPA axis Autistic children are 63 more likely to suffer from bullying than neurotypical children –

-

.

-

¹³.

%

;

¹ .

Figure 1. A schematic representation of the HPA axis¹¹.

17 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

wider research confirms that 16 6 18 of Autistic children are physically or sexually abused ⁴ and that autistic children are over 2 5 times more likely to be reported to child protection services for abuse ⁵ So how is this relevant to ASD The Diurnal Fluctuation of the HPA axis leads to a maximum concentration of salivary cortisol during the first half hour of waking which decreases throughout the day ⁰ We know that an increase in cortisol synthesis can dysregulate the HPA axis and research states that children with ASD have elevated plasma and salivary cortisol concentrations which we know to be associated with suicide .

-

%

¹ ,

.

¹ .

?

,

¹ .

,

,

.

THE ROLE OF SEROTONIN

We can now consider how serotonin plays a part in Autism and suicide Hyperserotonaemia elevated levels of whole blood serotonin was the first biomarker identified from ASD in 1961 and it is present in more than 25 of autistic people We can also note that elevated whole blood serotonin has been attributed to OCD too Although we still do not completely understand how the serotonergic system contributes to ASD pathophysiology neuroimaging and genetic research has concluded that the following clinical findings are related to both ASD and the serotonergic system .

–

-

,

%

.

.

,

:

Reduced brain and platelet 5 HT binding Since 5 HT is degraded by aromatic acid decarboxylase into 5 hydroxyindoleacetic acid 5 HIAA this means reduced 5 HIAA levels are characteristic too Intensified by tryptophan depletion Genetic link to chromosome 17q in males Rare SLC6A4 amino acid variants leading to low expressions of the Serotonin Transport SERT receptor associated with increase in cerebral cortex grey matter volume ⁶ -

,

Most serotonin receptor studies focus on SERT with results showing reduced amounts of SERT binding sites in suicide victims ⁷ This information highlights more neurochemical evidence for the biological relationship between Autism and Suicide ,

¹ .

.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE There is a lot of work to be done to further our understandings of both Autism biology and the biological basis of suicide respectively. Therefore, primary research into the direct biological relationship of suicide and Autism is understandably lacking.

From past investigations discussed here, we can be positive this work is underway, and remain hopeful that in the future we may have answers that could keep more autistic people alive.

Unfortunately, Autistic people are more prone to experience discrimination throughout their lives from other individuals and even from services expected to keep them safe – undoubtedly having a severe impact on their mental health. There still are not enough resources or support specifically for Autistic individuals with mental health issues, which tells us that equally as much progress is desperately needed on a societal basis to reduce Autistic suicides.

-

-

(

-

),

-

.

(

)

–

¹

Post mortem studies of people who died by suicide have revealed low levels of 5 HIAA in the brainstem as well as in the prefrontal cortex These low levels are also observed in suicide victims known to have depression and schizophrenia Dysregulation of the serotonergic system predisposes individuals to suicidal and other self injurious acts The amount of 5 HIAA metabolite in the cerebrospinal fluid CSF is strongly correlated to current and future suicidal behaviour So we know that not only do low levels of CSF 5 HIAA predict a higher rate of suicidal acts but also indicate more lethal suicide attempts -

-

,

.

.

-

-

-

(

.

,

-

)

References 1. Cassidy S, Bradley P, Robinson J, Allison C, McHugh M, BaronCohen S. Suicidal ideation and suicide plans or attempts in adults with Asperger’s syndrome attending a specialist diagnostic clinic: a clinical cohort study. The Lancet Psychiatry. 2014;1(2):142-147. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70248-2 2. Kõlves K, Fitzgerald C, Nordentoft M, Wood SJ, Erlangsen A. Assessment of Suicidal Behaviors Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder in Denmark. JAMA Netw Open.

2021;4(1):e2033565. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.33565 3. Ecker C. The neuroanatomy of autism spectrum disorder: An overview of structural neuroimaging findings and their translatability to the clinical setting. Autism. 2017;21(1):18-28. doi:10.1177/1362361315627136 4. Cusack J, Cassidy S, Spiers J. Suicide and autism. Published online 2017.

Accessed March 23, 2021. http://www.nspa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/1b.Suicide-in-autism.pdf 5. Lugo-Marín J, Magán-Maganto M, Rivero-Santana A, et al.

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Res Autism Spectr Disord.

2019;59:22-33. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2018.12.004 6. Hollocks MJ, Lerh JW, Magiati I, Meiser-Stedman R, Brugha TS. Anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychol Med. 2019;49(4):559-572. doi:10.1017/S0033291718002283

,

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

18

7. Baron-Cohen S. Vulnerability - Autism.

Autistica. Published 2020. Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.autistica.org.uk/ourresearch/research-projects/why-areautistic-people-more-vulnerable 8. Andrade A, Brennecke A, Mallat S, et al.

Genetic Associations between VoltageGated Calcium Channels and Psychiatric Disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(14):3537. doi:10.3390/ijms20143537 9. McLeod S. What is the Stress Response.

Simply Psychology. Published 2010.

Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.simplypsychology.org/stressbiology.html 10. Sharpley CF, Bitsika V, Andronicos NM, Agnew LL. Further evidence of HPA-axis dysregulation and its correlation with depression in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Data from girls.

Physiol Behav.

2016;167:110-117. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.09.003 11. Knapp S. HPA Axis - The Definitive Guide. Biology Dictionary. Published 2020.

Accessed March 23, 2021. https://biologydictionary.net/hpa-axis/ 12. Offord C. What Neurobiology Can Tell Us About Suicide. Sci Mag. Published online 2020.

Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.thescientist.com/features/what-neurobiologycan-tell-us-about-suicide-66922 13. McGowan PO, Sasaki A, D’Alessio AC, et al.

Epigenetic regulation of the glucocorticoid receptor in human brain associates with childhood abuse. Nat Neurosci.

2009;12(3):342-348. doi:10.1038/nn.2270 14. Mandell DS, Walrath CM, Manteuffel B, Sgro G, Pinto-Martin JA. The prevalence and correlates of abuse among children with autism served in comprehensive communitybased mental health settings. Child Abuse Negl.

2005;29(12):1359-1372. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.06.006 15. ScienceDaily. Children with autism more likely to face maltreatment, study finds.

Published 2019. Accessed March 23, 2021. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201 9/02/190215135837.htm 16. Muller CL, Anacker AMJ, VeenstraVanderWeele J. The serotonin system in autism spectrum disorder: From biomarker to animal models.

Neuroscience.

2016;321:24-41. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.11.010 17. Wassink TH, Hazlett HC, Epping EA, et al. Cerebral Cortical Gray Matter Overgrowth and Functional Variation of the Serotonin Transporter Gene in Autism. Arch Gen Psychiatry.

2007;64(6):709. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.64.6.709

19 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

BY PROF RICHARD BIRTLES In late 2015 I got an email from Louise Ackers, a Professor in the Health School, asking if there were any microbiologists at Salford University. I told her, yes, there were a few, including me and my colleague Dr Chloe James. Looking back, this was yet another moment of serendipity that changed my life – another “bit of luck out of the blue” that serves to remind me that just when you think life is getting predictable, there’s always a surprise just around the corner.

Louise was looking for some help with a project she was planning in Uganda focused on educating hospital staff to improve antimicrobial stewardship.

Six months later Chloe and I were in Fort Portal the biggest town in western Uganda washing our hands like fury in front of groups of doctors and nurses to illustrate a good way of controlling transmission of Staphylococcus aureus infections By this point we had learnt a lot about the appalling impact of infection particularly sepsis on maternal mortality in Uganda and we wanted to try and do something to help ,

,

,

.

(

)

.

We arranged for the regional hospital to collect S aureus clinical isolates for us and with the help of a new PhD student we set about characterising these to see how they were related to one another and the extent of their resistance to antibiotics hoping to get a better understanding of where mothers pick up infection from and how best to treat infections This work involved sequencing bacterial genomes and with the help of my colleague Dr Ian Goodhead we were able to do this in collaboration with microbiologists at Makerere University in Kampala as a way of transferring expertise in genomic techniques that are well established in the UK to Uganda .

,

,

-

.

,

,

-

.

We used our free time in Fort Portal to explore some other avenues I m interested in tick borne infections of livestock so we had a day trip to nearby farms to pull ticks off cows later tested by an MSc student and Chloe had us collecting chicken poo as part of a project on the epidemiology of the food borne zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter jejuni –

’

-

,

-

(

)

-

.

Fort Portal is also the home of a UK Uganda charity called Knowledge for Change K4C K4C has been offering placements for Salford University nursing and midwifery students for several years and we were very keen that they expand their offering to include Biomed and HBID students It took a while to get things sorted but the first group of BMS and HBID students went out to Fort Portal with Chloe in June 2018 and had a wonderful life changing month long experience embedded in local microbiology parasitology and haematology services Here s what BMS student Adrian Beck said This placement had a very positive impact on my personality The most important thing I noticed is Ugandans have so little materially but are still so happy I am grateful now that I have roof over my head and my good health “

”

/

(

).

.

,

,

-

-

,

.

’

:

“

.

[

]

;

!”.

Our work on S aureus as a cause of maternal sepsis and other hospital acquired infections started to yield results https www biorxiv org content 10 1101 2020 11 20 371203v1 and Chloe returned to Fort Portal in January 2020 to share these results with hospital and public health staff She used virtual reality kits to help her deliver messages about antibiotic resistance and how it develops Through continuing collaboration with Louise Ackers this work also contributed to improved antimicrobial stewardship both locally and nationally .

-

(

.

://

.

.

.

.

/

/

.

/

),

.

.

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

20

Staff at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital use VR developed by Chloe and others at Salford University to learn about antimicrobial stewardship.

In late 2017 we were chosen to showcase the work we d been doing in Fort Portal to a delegation of academics from the University of Gulu who were visiting Salford University Gulu is in northern Uganda a region devastated by civil war in the 1990s and 2000s and now accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo The University in Gulu is new and very keen to establish collaborations with Institutions that have strong global health research thus in January 2018 Chloe Ian and I made a reciprocal visit to Gulu aiming to develop these collaborations ’

.

,

.

,

,

.

We had an amazing exhausting trip which included me addressing prisoners in a remote jail about body lice and the infections they transmit and encounter with children suffering from the terrible nodding disease the cause of which remains a mystery Ian and one of his PhD students were able to carry out field work collecting tsetse flies Which transmit sleeping sickness We established links with scientists working on black flies that transmit river blindness and are now working together exploring the microbiomes of black fly guts and their possible impact on Onchocerca volvulus transmission ,

,

,

“

”,

.

,

.

.

21

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

The one person we didn t meet in Gulu was Dr Richard Echodu the Director of Gulu University s new multifunctional research laboratories who was away in Kampala However in early 2020 yet another moment of serendipity led to our working together on the biggest Salford Uganda collaboration to date Richard and I were talking about a grant application to support the black fly microbiome work mentioned above when I mentioned COVID 19 Richard spoke passionately about how unprepared Uganda was for the pandemic and we both agreed to look out for funding that might give us the opportunity to contribute the country s response to the virus A week or two later Ian found a call for the UK Government through its Global Challenges Research Fund that seemed to fit the bill What followed was pandemonium as Ian Richard and I raced to submit our application at the same time as converting all our teaching to online and teaching students as befuddled by all the changes as we were but submit we did and a month later we got the surprising news that we d been funded ’

,

’

,

.

,

-

.

,

-

.

’

.

,

.

,

(

),

’

.

,

The project started last August and under the management of the magnificent Dr Judy Mwangi who just completed her PhD at Salford University with fantastic support from Louise Ackers and many other people we are now six months in and still standing Working in two countries during the pandemic has thrown up many barriers but this week our diagnostic laboratory opened for business with the approval of the Ugandan Ministry of Health We now aim to test at least 25 000 people for SARS Cov2 infection in the next few months and to compliment this with genome sequencing by the summer (

)

,

.

Chloe’s PhD student, Paz, collecting faecal samples from Ugandan chickens to screen for Campylobacter jejuni and other zoonotic pathogens.

.

,

-

.

We re particularly interested in the impact the virus is having on refugee communities and how the epidemiology of infections might be shaped by risk factors quite different to those recognised in the UK such as age and obesity Most Ugandans are young and not fat but they are far more likely to be carrying parasites or be malnourished than Salford residents Hopefully this time next year we ll have some answers and we ll also have helped Gulu University establish itself on the national stage as a centre of molecular microbiology research excellence because the need for such expertise will not go away with COVID19 ’

,

.

,

An infectious control (hand hygiene) class at Kibiito Health Centre.

.

,

,

’

’

.

So as far as this story goes we re nowhere near the end but maybe we re at the end of the beginning There will undoubtedly be many opportunities for oldies like me Ian Chloe and Louise who have loved global health for many years but there are also opportunities for those just starting out those who recognise that the relevance of biomedicine and bioscience extends way beyond the boundaries of Salford or Manchester or the north west or the UK There s a big world out there waiting ,

,

’

,

’

.

,

,

,

,

;

,

-

,

,

.

’

!

K4C placements are available again from September 2021 and are open to all regardless of whether you are still a student or not For more information check out their website www Knowledge4Change org (

)

,

.

,

,

.

.

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

22

DR. CHLOE JAMES IN CONVERSATION WITH PRATHYUSHA VISWANATHAN Humans have been aware of Bacteriophages as major players in the microbial world for over 100 years. Their most widely recognized feature is their ability to infect and kill specific bacteria, but they are also known to provide some beneficial characteristics to their bacterial host. Apart from a few famous examples, this aspect of phage biology has been largely neglected and the temperate phage-bacteria relationships are not fully understood. Dr.Chloe James, a senior lecturer in Medical microbiology at the University of Salford, has been very curious about this dynamic and has been working on this for a while.

Recently, Dr. James started a new project funded by the BBSRC, which aims to observe how bacteriophages affect the behaviour of their bacterial host. It will focus on a notorious opportunistic bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common cause of respiratory infection in Cystic Fibrosis patients.

Prathyusha Viswanathan interviews Dr Chloe James about her unique and interesting project: IT IS QUITE A DIFFERENT YET INTERESTING TOPIC. HOW DID IT ALL START?

A few years back I worked on a project examining cases of Cystic fibrosis patients who were chronically infected with the Liverpool Epidemic Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa The team had previously found this stain to cause much more severe disease than other strains and to spread from patient to patient which seemed very unusual ,

.

,

.

23

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

After sequencing the genome they found several never seen before co existing prophages This is where I came in I regularly monitored phage and bacteria in the patient s sputum samples for over 2 years The most notable finding was that these phages were always active and present in abundance But we could not find any association between the phages and patient condition or antibiotic treatment ,

-

-

-

.

.

'

.

.

.

So this got me extremely curious like wow even though the phages are actively killing their bacterial host the bacteria are still keeping hold of them which means that they must be helping the bacteria in some manner and this point made me determined to find out what they are actually doing So I worked with colleagues Dr Ian Goodhead and Dr Heather Allison to design a project that would better understand how the phages and bacteria affect eachother s biology the hypothesis being that temperate bacteriophages do so much more than what we know and at the moment I think that they pull all kinds of strings and regulate bacterial behavior in different ways ,

,

,

,

.

[

,

.

.

]

'

,

.

.

The BBSRC awarded us funding for 2 postdoctoral researchers to work full time on the project but we also have some linked projects that are being explored by research students at Salford and Liverpool University ,

.

WHAT ACHIEVEMENTS YOU HAVE SO FAR?

Some key findings of our work are that for one each of the LES phages seems to be affecting the fitness of the P aeruginosa host differently and depending on environmental conditions secondly together these temperate phages seem to facilitate rapid evolution of their bacterial host contributing to their adaptation to the CF lung environment lastly we think that phages may have an important role in the competitiveness of the LES in CF lungs by acting as anti competitor weapons killing other P aeruginosa strains But this new project will delve much deeper into the mechanisms of interaction between these intriguing microbial partners We have published a lot of this work ,

.

;

,

;

,

,

-

(

.

).

.

.

THESE ARE TWO COMPLEX CREATURES; YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED MANY INTERACTIONS – HAVE ANY BEEN PARTICULARLY UNEXPECTED OR PECULIAR?

Yes that s true We are uncovering all kinds of interesting nuggets to follow up on So far the most striking discovery is the evidence that the phages are interacting with each other This means that the bacteria behave differently depending on which phage they are infected with and in cases when multiple prophages co exist together we observe a completely different behavior Of course we also suspect that the bacteria is affecting the biology of the phages Seeing how the phage infection progresses differently in other P aeruginosa host strains has helped me direct my thinking in more broader dimensions ,

’

.

.

,

-

.

,

-

,

.

,

.

.

.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MOST RECENT OUTPUTS FROM THE PROJECT?

Grace Plahe a Salford MRes student presented her work on how LES phages affect bacterial growth and virulence at three different conferences last year One of her abstracts has been published and some of her preliminary data helped us to secure the bigger project funding we have now Since then two postdoc researchers have been employed on the project and they will present their preliminary findings on phage phage interactions and phage genome annotation at the next Microbiology Society annual conference ,

,

.

,

.

,

,

-

.

WHAT ARE RESEARCH?

THE

UPCOMING

STAGES

OF

So our latest funding is to run for 3 years and there are plenty of upcoming tasks on our list Firstly our aim is to thoroughly profile the infection cycles of each phage under a range of environmental conditions and monitor changes in the expression of genes that reports the key stages of the process We will then conduct a huge transcriptomics experiment which will map global gene expression of bacteria with and without their phage partners This will show which phages are regulating which bacterial genes and ,

.

,

,

.

.

vice-versa

.

We will also perform experiments by exposing the bacteria to both favorable as well as challenging conditions so that this will help us to identify why the bacteria is keeping hold of so many elements that could so easily kill it and most importantly we will also construct a series of mutants and perform functional assays to confirm our theories about how these phage puppet masters are pulling the strings ,

,

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

24

IT SEEMS THAT YOUR FINDINGS HAVE A WIDE SCOPE IN RESEARCH AND COULD HELP THOUGHT PROCESSES IN OTHER FIELDS, LEADING TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES; YET TEMPERATE PHAGE RESEARCH IS RARE AND HAS NOT YET BEEN GIVEN MUCH IMPORTANCE. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS?

Very true I agree This aspect of phage research has not been given much attention Most of the research is concentrated on the destructive nature of bacteriophages towards specific bacteria for developing antibacterial treatments There is a lot of renewed excitement in that area at the moment with real potential to improve treatment of infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria Whilst the beneficial effects of prophages on bacteria have not been ignored the scale of this has been grossly underestimated There is so much more left undiscovered There are relatively few published findings on the regulatory properties of temperate phages and yet there is a huge ,

.

.

.

,

.

,

.

.

25

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

amount of genome evidence to show us that 60 of the sequenced bacterial strains carry prophages in their genomes and even more tantalisingly over 70 of most prophage genes are of unknown function We know they are present everywhere and that bacteria are keeping hold of them even though they can present a considerable cost but we don t know what they are doing ~

%

,

,

%

.

,

,

’

!

I am sure there are many exciting crossroads for this type of research and you were absolutely correct this type of research would also help other research fields to understand the pathology of disease better and could inform completely novel approaches to patient treatment and management In fact CRISPR systems were actually invented by bacteria in order to protect them against bacteriophage attack So studying phage bacteria interactions can indeed trigger revolutionary new fields of research and I hope that some of our findings will lead to new thinking in all kinds of areas that I haven t even considered ,

,

.

,

,

!

’

,

.

-

pg.28 CAREER PROFILES We summarise 4 careers that are bolstered by dedicated Teams sites at Salford

pg.40 IBMS AND PLACEMENTS Tahmina's tips on IBMS involvement as a student and securing placements

27 | BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

Biomedical Science careers Biomedical Scientists BMSs typically work in healthcare laboratory settings and carry out tests on patient samples that will usually contribute to or determine a patient diagnosis or evaluate the effectiveness of treatment Biomedical Scientist is a legally protected title which requires registration with the Health and Care Professions Council To register BMSs must obtain a Certificate of Competence from the Institute of Biomedical Science IBMS which is achieved by the completion of a Healthcare Science or Biomedical Science degree accredited by the IBMS and the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio which typically takes around 12 months to complete It can be completed at an IBMS accredited training laboratory most hospital laboratories either during an integrated or sandwich year placement or after graduating and obtaining work in one The Portfolio is general therefore provides qualification to start work as a BMS in any discipline regardless of the discipline worked in whilst completing the portfolio although laboratory experience relevant to the discipline you wish to work in is of course desirable Disciplines in Biomedical Science include Blood Sciences Cell Sciences Genetics Molecular Pathology or Infection Sciences Disciplines available vary with hospital size and speciality For more detail on disciplines registration and BMS careers visit the IBMS website http www ibms org (

)

.

'

'

.

,

(

),

,

,

.

-

(

)

,

.

,

,

–

.

,

,

&

.

.

,

://

.

Where

,

,

:

.

it

starts

after

graduating:

Highly variable depending on opportunities available at the time and whether you graduate with IBMS Registration Portfolio or not You may enter the lab at Biomedical Scientist BMS trainee BMS Associate Practitioner AP or Medical Laboratory Assistant MLA level more guidance on this is available on the Careers Hub and BMS Mentoring Teams site You may also choose to work in the private sector rather than NHS labs in which case progression routes can be different .

(

),

,

(

),

(

)

–

.

,

.

Again highly variable You can progress through the lab ranks going from newly qualified BMS to Specialist and then Senior BMS Some choose to move into lab management some into teaching like myself some into consultancy work etc There are lots of details available on the Careers Hub and BMS Mentoring Teams site about alternative career routes and emerging roles for example Patient Blood Management Where you can end up

:

,

!

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

Direct impact on patient care a constantly evolving field working with a variety of cases which helps make everyday interesting Benefits of a career in this field: ,

,

.

Launched in January 2020 the Biomedical Scientist BMS Mentoring Scheme Teams site has proven very popular with over 80 students joining already The aim of the site is to provide tailored support for those looking to pursue a career as a BMS after graduation offering Job application support including CV cover letter feedback and mock interview support Guidance on HCPC and IBMS Q A sessions on careers as a BMS Meetings with BMS staff from across the country to explore different career options Access to external IBMS events for those with e student membership A support hub to chat with your peers about careers as a BMS You can join the Teams site via BB or by email Take a look at the resources and recordings available and get involved today to help achieve your career goals ,

(

)

,

.

,

:

,

/

&

(

-

)

.

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

28

Research careers Research careers are extremely varied typically covering academic industrial or clinical research but usually require the continuation of the academic pathway and strong interest in a specific area of biomedicine These careers are competitive but are the literal advancement of science Salford s Research Careers Working Group RCWG seeks to facilitate undergraduate progression to research based careers including Masters by research and PhD positions I established the RCWG four years ago as a platform for students to engage with research and to mentor students through PhD applications Since then the scheme has developed and we now have a dedicated Teams Site student leads and a growing membership that forms a vibrant community of like minded students ,

,

.

.

’

(

)

-

.

.

,

,

,

-

Most research based careers start by securing a PhD position You may need to undertake a Masters preferably by research first but this is not an absolute prerequisite it will depend on the level of research experience developed during your degree For details see the recording mentioned later Where it starts after graduating: -

.

(

)

,

;

.

.

There are many research based careers in a huge range of disciplines Broadly speaking they fall into three areas 1 Academic undertaking research in a university setting 2 clinical for example working on clinical trials and 3 industrial product and process development Where you can end up: -

.

,

:

( )

(

), (

)

(

(

)

)

(

).

No two careers are the same and for most you will have a high degree of autonomy you will heavily shape the exact course of the research you undertake and therefore your job Successes mean a lot in research and can be incredibly rewarding For example you will publish your research and may become an internationally recognised expert in your field You will likely travel the world to present at scientific conferences and in some cases pass on your knowledge to the next generation of undergraduate scientist Benefits of a career in this field: ;

.

.

,

.

.

29

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

.

The RCWG is suitable for all students at any level As you progress through your degree we ll help you build a research aligned CV through activities such as a regular journal club dedicated seminars discussion groups learned society engagement facilitated conference attendance vacation scholarship and travel grant applications research career events and scientific writing competitions Then when you are ready to apply for research positions we will mentor you through the process .

,

’

-

,

,

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

.

On the 24th February the RCWG hosted the inaugural An introduction to research based careers symposium Attended by around 40 students I gave a brief overview of the PhD position then Dr Caroline Topham explained where a PhD can lead and considered the pros and cons of a research based career We were also joined by an international panel of scientists at various career stage who shared their experiences advice and insight The subsequent Q A session was incredibly engaging Don t worry if you missed the symposium as it was recorded and can be accessed via the RCWG Teams site ,

“

-

”

.

,

-

.

,

.

&

.

’

.

It s also the first of many exciting events Membership is free and virtually all our activities are highly transferable they will look good on any CV As such it s well worth joining even if a research based career is only one of many options on your radar ’

.

,

;

.

,

’

-

.

Graduate-entry Medicine, Dentistry and Physician Associate careers Postgraduate students may access careers in Medicine or Dentistry either at undergraduate more expensive or graduate entry more competitive level Only postgraduate students may access Physician Associate studies Graduate Entry Medicine Mentoring at Salford GEMMS was established in 2015 by Prof Niroshini Nirmalan and a group of Biomedicine students with the objective of inspiring students to apply for careers in Medicine and Dentistry (

)

-

)

(

.

.

(

)

.

In 2019 the scheme was expanded to include post graduate entry for Physician Associate studies with Dr Sara Namvar overseeing and co leading GEMMS PA Each year as many as 30 students have taken part in elements of the mentoring scheme with 4 5 students successfully transitioning onto Medicine or Dentistry Many more successfully join Physician Associate courses The mentoring for this working group is quite intense and involves close collaborative activity between staff and students with reliance upon the good will of our alumni ,

-

-

-

.

,

-

.

.

.

Most students will start a 2 year Physician Associate Masters Others may apply and secure a place on a 4 or 5 year Medicine or Dentistry course Carefully considering finances and workload both during your undergraduate degree and beyond graduation is required Where it starts after graduating: -

.

-

-

.

.

A Physician Associate Doctor or Dentist Your career can grow in any specialty you wish You may also get involved with university teaching research eventually Where you can end up: ,

.

.

/

.

Benefits of a career in this field:

Working closely with patients and shaping healthcare Being able to diagnose and treat your own patients .

.

Large scale events are regular and popular e g Personal statement writing mock interviews external inspirational talks etc attracting 100 students at a time and are usually held many times during the year These are followed up with smaller bespoke events depending upon the needs of students at the time Mentoring generally begins with career management support helping students decide upon the extracurricular activities they need to engage with and providing references to hospitals for instance There are regular personal statement workshops and personalised feedback on statements Interview practice sessions are also a regular occurrence and often involve our valued alumni sharing their experiences For students working towards Medicine or Dentistry a working group of students has been established which holds regular UKCAT GAMSAT study sessions to support preparation (

.

.

,

,

)

.

.

–

.

.

.

,

/

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

30

Biomedicine Teaching careers Teaching careers are rewarding and varied They require additional qualifications such as a PGCE but will allow you to work in primary schools secondary schools and colleges in the UK or even abroad They allow you to share your passion for and knowledge in a subject with children and young people and thus be a part of inspiring the next generation of scientists healthcare workers health professionals and teachers .

,

.

,

,

,

.

At our best, we are all teachers” - Maya Angelou.

“

You will commence postgraduate teacher training for instance by doing a taught PGCE or enrolling onto teach first Where it starts after graduating:

The Biomedicine Teaching Support Group has been established to support all those interested in teaching careers Whether you want to be a primary or secondary school teacher and need application support or whether you have realised teaching and mentoring skills are key to most areas of graduate employment this support network can help you develop your CV and enhance your professional skillset The network officially launched on the 17th of March with the Teaching Careers Symposium which featured external speakers CV enhancement talks and an engaging panel discussion to help network members get ahead of the game learn about Salford public engagement and outreach opportunities and receive top advice from experienced teachers Join the Biomedicine Teaching Support Group for more information

,

.

.

You could work as a teacher in primary high school or even a college You may end up becoming a subject head head teacher or principal You may even join the local council and shape OFSTED or local educational policies

Where you can end up:

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

.

Benefits of a career in the field:

'

Working closely with students and families is very rewarding This career offers geographical stability and there is a clear route for career advancement e g to Head of Department Headteacher etc Many teachers also spend time teaching abroad .

(

.

'

,

,

.

,

.

).

!

.

The careers outlined so far are not exhaustive rather these are the ones that are currently associated with strong support already in place at Salford University through the existence of the working groups and associated Teams sites mentioned In issue 3 we will focus on lesser known careers that students may not have thought of or heard as much about If there is a particular relevant career that you would like to hear about please contact us at bioscientistmagazine outlook com ,

.

,

-

.

,

@

.

.

Now that some of the most prominent biomedicine careers have been disussed read on for a practical guide to planning them ,

31

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

.

B Y DR. S ARA NA MVA R A ND A I ME E P INNI NGTO N

Whilst at university it is vital that you start planning your career as early as possible The Biomedicine academic team have prepared some guidance for you How to start planning your career will support you in assessing where you are up to at this moment and also provide some immediate steps you can take Building a strong CV whilst at university is ideally suited to first and second year students who have lost of time to get career savvy .

! ‘

’

. ‘

’

!

HOW TO START PLANNING YOUR CAREER That's me!

Take a look at the Careers Hub- there are lots of different options on there to explore. Your degree can take you anywhere you want to be!

Speak to the careers and Enterprise Team!

NO IDEA WHERE TO START?

Look on the Prospect website!

I do, but need support

Create professional social media accounts - LinkedIn and Twitter, when used professionally, are great ways to meet employers and placement providers

Join a career specific Teams mentoring sites - get the conversation going with your peers and staff to guide you, this is a great support forum for you to use

Network

Just remember you are in the public domain - always make the best impression

Get your CV and cover letters ready ASAP, with the help of the Careers team via the Student Hub. Academics can provide feedback too

Register for the various careers events, Q&A sessions, guest speaker talks etc. to find out what really interests you - you must keep an eye on BB and Teams to be in the loop!

Get CV savvy

Be proactive!

Plan!

What career do you want to work towards and how will you get there? Do you need to do a placement? Have you got the right work experience? etc.

Consider timeframes and deadlines if applying externally

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

32

BUILDING A STRONG CV WHILST AT UNIVERSITY

Your priority must always be to achieve the best possible grades However extracurricular activities help you build a vast range of additional skills that not only build your CV and make you more attractive to employers but they also make you more confident and allow you to have fun It can be difficult to select appropriate activities both on and off campus to suit your career of choice .

,

,

!

(

)

.

The table below is by no means exhaustive but maps out recommended activities to support your career of choice In addition to these the library SU and careers enterprise team offer a huge range of development opportunities You may wish to become a student rep ambassador at open days or mentor which will help with all careers Ultimately there is no right or wrong and the important thing is to get involved You must start drafting your CV from the first year and continue developing it throughout your time at university ,

.

,

,

&

.

,

,

.

!

.

BMS careers

Research

Teaching

Join the RCWG Attend seminars and journal clubs Engage with Biomedsoc magazine PassionFlash and outreach opportunities Join learned societies e.g. Physiological Society

Join the teaching mentoring scheme Engage with Biomedsoc activities e.g. book club, art and magazine PassionFlash and engage with Biomedicine Outreach Team & SEE public engagement activities.

Volunteer for open days, become a mentor through the students union, take up external mentoring/tutoring.

IBMS accredited placement strongly recommended.

Start building your CV early and network early!

May add value - but not essential. if you decide to do one, a clinical research project is recommended.

A research placement either on or off campus strongly recommended.

Start building your CV early and seek out opportunities.

May add value - A teaching focused research project suggested.

Continue with some activities from year 1 and 2 - perhaps taking a leading role if possible.

Continue with some activities must have built strong record of experience and volunteering.

Shadowing highly desirable.

Continue with some activities from year 1 and 2 - perhaps taking a leading role if possible.

Continue with some activities from year 1 and 2 - perhaps taking a leading role if possible.

Early career BMS/MLA May apply for NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP)

|

-

Join GEMMS-PA mentoring scheme Engage with Biomedsoc activities e.g. book club, art and magazine PassionFlash and outreach opportunities Community and NHS volunteering Seek employment in caring positions Network and seek shadowing Medicine/Dentistry applicants: Train for UKCAT/GAMSAT

Join BMS careers mentoring group IBMS e-student membership Engage with Biomedsoc activities e.g. book club, art and magazine PassionFlash and outreach Student union, community and NHS volunteering

33

GEMMS PA

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

2-year Msc physician associate studies 4/5 year medicine or dentistry degree

MRes or PhD Industry lab May apply for NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP)

Postgraduate teacher training

THE EMERGING ROLE OF A PHYSICIAN ASSOCIATE

B Y PA TRI C I A ME DE I RO S Dr Eugene Stead (the US chairman of the Department of Medicine) founded the physician associate (PA) profession in 1965. There was a prominent shortage of physicians and other medical providers, resulting in a higher demand for healthcare professionals¹.

As a response to this, Dr Stead initiated the PA course; a 2-year medical masters with a fast-paced curriculum, similar to the 3-year medical curriculum used to train doctors in World War II². However, due to the knowledge required, potential candidates could only matriculate if they had previous health-related training. Following the graduation of the first PA cohort, other US universities incorporated the PA course in their medical schools. Numerous countries around the world have since developed their own versions of the course..

The UK formally introduced the PA profession in 2003. The Faculty of Physician Associates (FPA) defines PAs as medically qualified professionals with a generalist healthcare background³. PAs are an emerging role in the NHS and an integral part of the multidisciplinary team.

They are dependent practitioners, working in liaison with medical supervisors, commonly consultants and surgeons.

However, with appropriate training, PAs can work autonomously.

During the course, PA students attend a series of clinical placements in primary care (GPs) and secondary care (hospitals).

These placements include a variety of medical specialties, such as, paediatrics, GP, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, mental health and more.

After qualifying, PAs can choose to reside in a single area of medicine, but they also have the option to move between specialties. As part of the multidisciplinary team, PAs have become increasingly prevalent within the world of medicine and more widely recognised in the healthcare sector.

PAs are not doctors; the role was designed BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE | 13

to develop generalist clinicians as opposed to a specialised healthcare professional. Doctors commonly train to become ‘specialists’ in one area of medicine and PAs train to become ‘ generalists ’ in many areas of medicine .

PAs have obtained a previous healthrelated degree, whereby certain areas of that degree incorporate key components of medicine. Therefore, providing them with a subsequent generalist medical education develops competent individuals with the ability to work in varying areas. ~ 30 UK universities offer the PA course , accepting applicants with a 1:1 or 2:1 in a 34 year prior degree in a science or healthrelated subject like biomedicine or pharmacology. Applicants can either study for 2 years for a PA masters (MSc) or postgraduate diploma (PGdip), or a 4-5 year MPAS. PAs are also required to complete a national exam, assessments, OSCEs, and more in order to qualify⁴. After qualifying, PAs are further trained in a specialty of their choosing, with many completing internship years or rotational posts. PAs must also sit a recertification exam every 6 years encompassing all areas of medicine, regardless of the PA's current area of work, ensuring a general knowledge of medicine is maintained for patient care and safety.

As PAs study postgrad medicine, upon qualification they can diagnose and treat their own patients; formulate management plans; perform surgical procedures; run clinics; take medical histories; carry out physical examinations and more. Currently, PAs in the UK do not sign off prescriptions, request ionising radiation or have licenses to work in certain countries.

PAs in other countries are not limited in this way because the role is newly established in the UK and currently not regulated. However, in 2022, the General Medical Council will become the official statutory regulator for PAs, opening the door to prescribing rights, licenses to work abroad and a clear progression pathway⁵.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE | 34

CAREER STORIES

AN INSIGHT INTO THE PA PROFESSION: PA THOMAS SMYTH

I N C O NV E RS AT IO N W I TH P A TRI C I A ME DE I RO S WHAT WAS YOUR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE?

I graduated from the University of Salford in 2015 and did my undergraduate degree in sports rehabilitation Then I completed the PA course at the university of Manchester I did the PGdip not the masters so I didn t need to do an additional thesis at the end of the course which you have to do with a masters .

.

,

’

,

.

DID YOU HAVE ANY WORK EXPERIENCE BEFORE APPLYING?

I was in the very first cohort in the northwest back in 2016 As the course was quite new I didn t know what experiences were applicable so I tried to make everything as relevant to healthcare as possible Luckily with my sports rehabilitation degree I already had placements in the NHS setting like working with orthopaedic surgeons in hospital Unfortunately a lot of students now won t have as much experience due to COVID 19 so universities are being slightly more lenient But we do have a mentor scheme at Salford Royal called the PA Academy and there s also the North West PA Forum so people can get in touch for an insight into the PA role We understand that students are doing their best under the current circumstances ,

,

.

Thomas Smyth, Physician Associate in Salford Royal Trauma and Orthopaedic department.

,

’

.

,

,

,

.

,

’

-

,

.

’

.

.

WHAT WAS YOUR INTERVIEW LIKE AND WHAT ARE INTERVIEW PANELS LOOKING FOR IN SELECTING A PA?

I actually interview applicants at Manchester and the process now is different from when I applied Back when I did it we had to go Hayfield Race course because I think there were 500 of us and only 140 places between 3 universities We had MMI stations and if you got through then you got a place at one of the 3 universities based on what you scored It was very intense But interviewers are looking for students that understand and can distinguish the PA role from allied professionals So it s good to be knowledgeable on the NHS and its core values and data protection and more .

,

,

.

,

.

.

.

WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE ON WRITING A STRONG PERSONAL STATEMENT?

With personal statements someone told me that you effectively use a SEE approach Which is a Skill then an Experience relating to that skill then Elaborate on the skill and how it applies to everyday needs Also always link experiences to healthcare even if they re not directly in a healthcare setting Try not to waffle too much because whoever is reading your personal statement is trying to gain an understanding of your knowledge and experiences from a short written piece ,

“

‘

’,

”

.

‘

‘

’

’

.

,

’

.

,

-

35

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

.

,

’

.

WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE THE PA ROLE, AND DID YOU EVER CONSIDER MEDICINE?

Yes I always wanted to study medicine and I did a lot of research into it and found the PA course which honestly really resonated with me I did sports rehabilitation and I knew a lot about the human body and how it functions but wanted to know more I think that a key factor in studying medicine to be a Dr and ,

,

.

,

,

.

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

2

studying medicine to be a PA is that the course itself is 2 years but it s a postgraduate masters so you need knowledge from another 3 4 year degree After that you can then still go into any specialty whilst maintaining a generalist approach ,

,

’

,

-

.

,

WHAT SPECIALTY ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING IN AND WHAT WAS YOUR MOST INTERESTING CASE?

Me and the other PAs don t really rotate around we re there to offer patient continuity so we know the system Since we ve been there for 3 years we re able to teach the junior doctors that come in too and get them into the system very quickly We often free up the ward time for the juniors and trainees so that they can go into theatre and into clinics and get all these extra experiences so actually we do work very well together '

;

'

.

,

’

'

.

,

.

The apple didn t fall too far from the tree I went back and did trauma and orthopaedics and I just fell in love with the role at Salford Royal hospital especially the surgical element to it So I think the most interesting case I ve had was a bone transportation surgery Unfortunately a patient had a high trauma road traffic accident and a large portion of the bone in their leg was missing We have a phenomenal team of specialist surgeons called the limb recon team So we did a bone transportation where we physically cut a segment of the bone and transport it millimetre by millimetre each day and you can actually see the bone regrowing it was amazing

WHAT DO YOU THINK GMC REGULATION MEANS FOR PAS?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF BEING A PA AND ONE THING THAT YOU WOULD POTENTIALLY IMPROVE?

Personally I had great experience choosing to be a PA was a success story so I definitely recommend it I would say though students need a clear distinction as to which medical model they want to study whether that s a PA medical model or a doctor s medical model But any aspiring PAs are welcome to look at our mentor scheme or contact me on social media with any questions

'

;

,

.

,

’

.

,

-

.

.

,

GMC doesn t really change my role but it would make it slightly easier I work in a profession where I need both ionising imaging and to prescribe but the doctors are there for support and vice versa But equally I am a bit sceptical because with regulation PAs may become more prevalent on the wards without much support from the doctors But overall it is a great thing because PAs can expand their scope of practice '

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

For me personally it would be the flexibility and work life balance I m an ambassador and guest lecturer too I m in different places throughout the week but also theatre for surgery a lot If I was to improve anything it would be the recognition of PAs I think there are a few misconceptions and the role is undervalued at the moment because it s quite new in the UK and people don t always know what we can do ,

-

.

,

’

’

,

.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS?

YOU

,

GIVE

TO

,

,

.

,

,

'

’

.

!

.

,

’

’

(Instagram-@Thomasthepa) Guest editing by Afnan Housein Nabiha Ahmed

and

.

WHAT DO OTHER HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS THINK OF YOUR ROLE AS A PA?

When I first started they weren t sure on what the role was so I was often having to explain it I was also trying to fit in this huge already well established medical team But as soon as I got past that there was a huge gap to be filled ,

,

’

,

.

,

-

,

,

.

.

References 1. Longmire D. The Use of Physician Assistants for Health and Wellness in Aging Populations. Virginia Commonwealth University.

Published 2020.

Accessed February 18, 2021. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/uresposters/325/ 2. Brady MI. A Survey Assessing Patient Satisfaction with Physician Assistant Care at the Maple Street Clinic. 2004. Accessed February 18, 2021. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48843937.pdf 3. Reynard K, Brown R. A clinical analysis of the emergency medicine workforce crisis. Br J Hosp Med. 2014;75(11):612-616. doi:10.12968/hmed.2014.75.11.612 4. Murphy DC, Harvey A. Jeannine Watkins is a physician associate.

BMJ. 2020;371:m3858. doi:10.1136/bmj.m3858 5. Ghadiri SJ. Physician associates: an asset for physician training and a 21st-century NHS? Futur Healthc J. 2020;7(3):e9-e10. doi:10.7861/fhj.teale-7-3

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

36

CAREER STORIES

In this interview Danny shares his career path and useful advice to current Biomedical Science students .

COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER PATH AS A BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST? WHAT WERE YOUR STEPS AFTER COMPLETING YOUR DEGREE?

Between the 2nd and 3rd year of my degree I successfully completed a placement year in the Haematology department at Manchester Royal Infirmary I graduated with a first class honour s degree and the IBMS Certificate of Competency allowing me to go straight into work as a BMS ,

.

-

’

,

.

My career path started up in the lake district at Furness General Hospital however I didn t spend long there An opportunity came up and I moved down to the southwest and joined the haematology and transfusion team at Milton Keynes University Hospital I absolutely loved my time there I worked independently got involved with all aspects of the quality management system started my MSc degree and overall grew quickly as a scientist ,

,

’

.

,

.

.

,

,

,

,

.

Being an ambitious person my time in Milton Keynes didn t last long either A new challenge to join the Pathology team at Spire Manchester Hospital came up As my first post as a Senior BMS I learned so much very quickly ,

’

.

.

,

.

IN C O NV E RS A TI O N W I TH DI MIT RIO S B I TA S

I left Spire roughly a year later to join NHS Blood and Transplant I ve learned something from the positives and negatives of everywhere I have worked I look for a learning opportunity in every experience and I believe that s made me a better scientist and probably a better person .

’

.

’

.

37

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

YOUR CV SHOWS THAT YOU SWITCHED COURSES AND WENT FROM STUDYING ADULT NURSING TO BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE. WHAT CHANGED YOUR MIND?

Before my biomedical science days I studied Adult Nursing The original plan was to train as an A E nurse but this only lasted about 18 months During my first placement as a student nurse at the Haematology Day Unit at Manchester Royal Infirmary I became fascinated by blood cells I took up independent study on the different blood cells and the mechanisms that influence their production replication and destruction I soon realised that a career in biomedical science was more suited to my interests ,

.

&

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

.

CAN YOU TELL CURRENT JOB?

US

ABOUT

YOUR

I am currently employed as a Patient Blood Management Practitioner by NHS Blood and Transplant My job involves work on activities designed to support Patient Blood Management in hospitals across London This includes provision of an on going programme of support education audit research and specialist transfusion advice One of the most important elements of my job is building relationships with other healthcare professionals involved in blood transfusion to ensure a co ordinated approach to improving transfusion laboratory and clinical practice locally regionally and nationally It s a job that I really enjoy and get huge satisfaction from I work with the most talented team of scientists nurses administrators and doctors and we really make a positive difference every day .

.

-

,

,

,

,

.

,

-

,

.

"

,

’

.

,

,

.

WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE AS A BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST IN HAEMATOLOGY AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION LIKE? CAN YOU DESCRIBE A TYPICAL WEEK AT WORK?

On a Monday you might observe the presence of immature cells on a patient s peripheral blood smear that you re concerned might be indicative of a serious problem with the bone marrow so you get in touch with the haematologist to escalate it On Tuesday you might be responding to major haemorrhage bleep to provide replacement blood for a patient that has been involved in an accident and lost a lot of blood Wednesday might see ,

’

’

,

.

,

.

you have to get the tools out and replace one of the probes on your analyser Thursday might be a quiet day until you get the call from theatres to say that there had been some complications during childbirth and now a new mother is in desperate need of blood components Thankfully Friday is rest day .

.

,

.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO CURRENT BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS? WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THEM TO TAKE?

Besides the obvious advice of working hard and putting the hours in I would advise them to get involved with the university societies and the IBMS Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can whilst you re a student Some voluntary opportunities might first appear to be a lot of hard work for very little return but there are transferable skills you ,

.

’

.

,

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

38

can pull from any experience Networking has had such a positive influence on my career to date I d suggest attending events meetings and discussion groups Build a social media presence Make professional contacts and friends Have fun and enjoy the process Don t let these three or four years pass you by without having fun I miss university so much .

.

’

,

.

.

.

.

’

.

.

Often when I see this question I go on to read about how one must be bright have attention to detail be data driven etc which are all true but actually I think first a foremost you need to be compassionate You need to be able to always keep at the forefront of your mind that every single sample belongs to a person with a family that loves them and that are probably worried about the results you re about to produce and report You need to remember that every single task you perform in the laboratory whether it s analytical or administrative is essential to uphold the high quality necessary to provide the minimum level of care we should all be striving for If you ve got that and a passion for biomedical science everything else can be taught ,

,

,

.

’

.

,

’

,

.

’

,

,

.

HOW CAN OTHER PEOPLE HELP OR AFFECT SOMEONE’S CAREER? WERE THERE ANY PEOPLE WHO HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT IN YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT?

My career path has been enjoyable but very fast paced I ve been lucky enough to meet some fantastic people in my career so far who have given me every opportunity to progress and whether they have realised or not they have helped me grow professionally and personally Being surrounded by good people in a positive environment for learning is really important to me I ll be forever grateful to Dr Lucy Smyth and the University of Salford for the help and support required -

.

’

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

.

WHAT SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES ARE ESSENTIAL TO SUCCEED AS A BIOMEDICAL SCIENTIST?

.

.

.

"Networking has had such a positive influence on my career to date."

,

to switch and join the Biomedical Science programme At Furness General Hospital I met Stephen McDonald Ola Yahaya and Shehz Abdullah three really talented scientists who supported me through the haematology and transfusion basics Stephen Ola and I still work closely together on a few different projects and Shehz and I speak most days All three became friends for life At Milton Keynes University Hospital I met some of the most knowledgeable and humble biomedical scientists and I learned so much so quickly YOU OFTEN TALK ABOUT THE VALUE OF NETWORKING, PARTICULARLY THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHAT SIGNIFICANT ROLE IT HAS PLAYED IN YOUR OWN CAREER. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE TO A BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENT LOOKING TO START NETWORKING THROUGH TWITTER FOR EXAMPLE?

There is a huge biomedical science community on Twitter You can get involved with IBMSChat and WEBMScienitsts Twitter is an immensely valuable tool for networking I have met so many scientists on Twitter who have positively influenced my career in one way or another Twitter and other social media platforms make the world so much more accessible One thing I will say about Twitter is that it can sometimes feel like work from work This is particularly true if you only follow biomedical science accounts and only engage with other scientists Shutting off from work is important Don t be afraid to be yourself on Twitter too I don t believe that you should separate your personal and science accounts Not unless you want to or your employer insists you should I like that I can get to know the people behind the science and I hope that people can get to know me too .

#

@

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

’

.

‘

’

’

.

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

.

’

.

39

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

You can follow Danny on Twitter (@NHSDanny) for useful transfusion content, real time football, and boxing punditry. Use #AskinGaskin for any questions. Danny is approachable and would love to hear from students and early career scientists.

Tahmina shares her tips as a BMS Team Manager and Blood Sciences Training Officer at Christie Pathology Partnership, for securing IBMS placements and getting involved with the IBMS as a student ABOUT ME

I completed a degree in Applied Biomedical Science at Manchester Metropolitan University which involved a 12 month sandwich placement in my third year which was an amazing opportunity to complete my IBMS Registration Portfolio to gain the IBMS Certificate of Competence and also opened up the pathway for me to secure a job Since then I have completed the IBMS Specialist Diploma in Haematology and Hospital Transfusion Practice and a Master s degree in Haematology and Transfusion Science Completing these qualifications has enabled me to expand my skills knowledge and experience and have contributed massively towards my professional development and career progression I have also completed the IBMS Certificate of Expert Practice qualifications in Training and in Quality Management My particular interest is within Training and Education and developing students trainees and colleagues and help them to grow in confidence ,

-

.

,

'

.

,

.

.

,

.

ADVICE ON PLACEMENTS

Based on my experience the uptake of placements is highly competitive therefore it is extremely important to apply for a placement if the opportunity is available Without this I would not have been able to complete my training and become a HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist The benefits of undertaking a placement are huge as you will gain experience working in a laboratory while developing your knowledge and skills as well as significantly improving your opportunities for employability If you are unable to secure a placement via university try and contact local laboratories to ask whether there are any work experience opportunities connect with your local IBMS Branch and search for vacancies advertised for medical laboratory assistants or assistant practitioners ,

,

.

,

-

.

,

,

.

,

,

.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

40

When you are searching for a placement or applying for a position as a Biomedical Scientist you should include key points in your CV that stand out to the employer Your CV should be about selling yourself and increasing your chances at being shortlisted for an interview Include your qualifications how many years experience you have what skills you have developed and what training you have previously completed Make sure you include your roles and responsibilities in a particular job and relate them to the position you are applying for Employers will be looking for skills that relate to Biomedical Science so keep your CV clear and concise and make sure it flows well If you have attended other courses such as mentorship or been involved in other extracurricular activities that add to your skills make sure you include it in your CV If you take part in or contribute to any conferences or events as a speaker or write articles these are all valuable skills and experience to add ,

.

.

,

’

,

.

.

.

,

.

,

.

If you have been shortlisted for an interview make sure you prepare well Remember to sell yourself with the qualities and skills that you have highlighted in your CV and relate it to how it would fit the job criteria Think about your strengths and weaknesses and how these can be used to your advantage Most importantly employers will want to know why you want the job but also what benefits you will bring ,

.

.

.

,

.

41

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

For Biomedical Scientist jobs most employers will ask specific competency based questions so be prepared to answer using past experiences Examples of questions can be talking about your biggest achievement and why you are proud of this or how you might have handled a difficult situation You may also be asked questions that are very specific to the discipline For example you may be given a scenario where a sample has been processed and an abnormal result is detected what might the cause of this be What condition might it be related to and what would you do By preparing well and researching the common tests performed in the laboratory you will have a better chance at answering the questions well ,

-

,

.

.

.

,

,

?

?

.

although you may not have worked in a laboratory before you can still demonstrate your knowledge in the interview this will indicate your eagerness to learn Take your time to answer the questions and don t be afraid to ask your own questions Examples of questions might include shift patterns or opportunities for career progression Don’t forget

,

,

,

.

’

.

.

When the interview has ended thank the interviewers for their time ask when you are likely to hear back from them and ask if they are prepared to provide feedback at the end of the process ,

,

.

ADVICE ON GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE IBMS

There are other ways of getting involved with the IBMS which will help you develop new skills Biomedical Science Day 24th June 2021 is the IBMS annual celebration of biomedical science This day celebrates our profession and the work we do You can get involved by promoting Biomedical Science and raising awareness to the public of our role in healthcare .

(

)

.

.

.

Prior to COVID 19 many of us celebrated by hosting events and exhibitions so that patients and staff in the hospital were able to come and ask questions we also gave a tour of the laboratories However since the global pandemic we were not able to celebrate in the usual way But that did not stop us The social media platform has become increasingly popular for promoting our profession so there s always an opportunity to get involved and take part in increasing awareness -

,

;

!

,

,

.

!

’

.

4th 9th November 2021 is also an annual celebration of pathology to highlight the important roles we play and the contributions we make to healthcare Again there s lot of ways to get involved Public engagement activities such as delivering careers talks to schools and universities are great opportunities to engage people of all ages

National Pathology Week

(

-

)

.

,

’

!

.

The IBMS Chats also take place on Twitter on the first Wednesday of every month at 8 9pm You can join in the chat and ask questions and network with other professionals The IBMS Support Hub also deliver free online sessions on various topics such as completing CPD portfolios and professional development -

.

.

,

.

The IBMS mentoring program has been launched recently and is available for any IBMS member who would like some support in gaining skills and knowledge for career development .

If you are looking to connect with the IBMS there are plenty of resources available on their website which are useful for obtaining information on the different qualifications CPD and networking with other members ,

,

.

For more information, visit: https://www.ibms.org/home/

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

42

pg.50 COFFEE WITH CAROLINE Answering your wellbeing queries and concerns

pg.51 BIOMEDICINE SOCIETY Catch up on the latest society events

BIOMEDICINE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT LEAD DR SARA NAMVAR

I m sure you will all agree that this academic year has been like no other and that students and staff have had to work harder than ever before Many of you would have faced difficult personal circumstances this year but despite these setbacks you have persevered and shown an unbelievable level of resilience So first of all well done The very fact that you have remained committed to your studies and have tried to make the best of a difficult situation shows you have some excellent qualities ’

.

,

.

,

!

!

Despite the pandemic this year has been one of many successes First and foremost students have shown great engagement with their studies and we are looking forward to brilliant results from all of you In addition to us all working hard to adapt to the new ways of working there have been some exciting developments across Biomedicine As you already know the academic team are extremely passionate about graduate employability The Biomedicine Careers hub now hosts more than 800 students whilst careers working groups each hold up to 170 students There have been at least 30 careers events meetings this academic year Given the popularity of these smaller scale events the academic team have decided to go one step further We are delighted to announce there will be a Biomedicine careers festival this summer 23rd 25th June in collaboration with the Careers and Enterprise Team Save the date and look out for further announcements ,

.

,

.

,

.

,

.

,

!

/

.

,

!

–

–

.

.

placements and graduate positions keep up the good work and keep us posted with your good news stories ,

–

!

It has been a real privilege collaborating with students on a range of extracurricular activities this year The magazine speaks for itself and the students driving and contributing to this project including editors designers website developers referencing manager writers etc should be extremely proud of this achievement .

,

,

,

,

,

…

.

You are all excellent ambassadors for the university attracting attention from the IBMS the university library and reporters writing about British Science week Students are strongly encouraged to contact the magazine team and get involved with future issues ,

,

!

.

In addition to the excellent university wide wellbeing support on offer Biomedicine students and staff have worked together to develop opportunities ranging from coffee to exercise groups These have been a real lifeline and helped keep a sense of community during the pandemic We hope that many more students will come forward and take part in these activities ,

!

.

.

I will finish up with wishing you the very best of luck in your summer exams Keep an eye on the Teams sites over summer for additional opportunities I look forward to working with all of you in the new academic year .

.

.

Many of you have been extremely proactive about your career management actively seeking placements and taking up voluntary work experience through the student s union NHS or charities Many of you have also actively engaged with extracurricular activities to build your CVs We are already hearing good news that students are securing interviews ,

’

,

.

.

,

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

44

BY HUSSAM ALMAWAL FROM SYRIA TO SALFORD

I started my career in Syria in 2007 as a laboratory scientist Shortly after this I was promoted to manager of the general laboratory and IVF laboratory in 2009 My role grew quickly at the hospital and it wasn t long before I was overseeing the laboratory activities across seven floors managing 40 laboratory staff until 2013 When the war started in Syria in the blink of an eye I had lost everything you can imagine Members of my family and friends my house and my job My family and I crossed 14 countries just to find a safe place to live I arrived in the UK in 2014 speaking zero English I started to learn the language and worked in a coffee shop at the same time I also started my study at the University of Salford because I had been told .

,

.

,

’

,

–

.

,

.

,

,

.

.

.

.

:

“You will never be able to work as a scientist again”.

Since then I ve been on a mission to prove to the world that I d be able to not only learn English but also make my life a success story once more so that my daughter would be proud of me It s hard to believe I m now in my final year I would be lying if I said it has all been sunshine and roses I cried and slept in pain feeling confused lost and exhausted There have been times where I have questioned myself thinking why am I putting myself through this But at the end of the day I wouldn t trade it for anything in the world Today I m a Bioscience lead at one of the largest UK testing centres I am so proud to be a part of the fight against COVID 19 with the Department of Health and Social Care and Lighthouse laboratories ,

'

'

First day at university

,

,

.

'

'

.

.

,

,

.

,

,

‘

?!’

,

'

.

,

'

.

-

.

45

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

I m responsible for overseeing a lab based team from sample receipt through to RNA extraction and delivery of PCR data This includes troubleshooting and solving problems with PCR machines and supervising scientists carrying out their lab activities I have had the opportunity to complete a portfolio of training activities including health and safety manager essentials and performance and improvement courses Together with my team we have delivered 7 million COVID test results to patients '

-

.

.

,

,

.

,

.

2020 at #Lighthouse labs – COVID-19 responders Department of Health and Social Care

I could say so much more about my experiences and journey so far I can honestly say that I have always appreciated the support that has been provided to me by the University of Salford and that I wouldn t be here without it My journey at the University of Salford is not yet over as I intend to study an MSc in Biotechnology after I graduate from my BSc in Biomedical Sciences .

'

.

,

.

Through my educational journey at the University of Salford I have learned four major lessons that I think other people may benefit from I leave you this ,

.

:

IT'S NOT TOO LATE – NEVER GIVE UP. TO FINISH ANY GREAT ENDEAVOUR, YOU MUST FIRST START. IF YOU WANT HAPPINESS, HELP OTHER PEOPLE. FAILURE AND MISTAKES MAKE YOU STRONGER.

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

46

The government apprenticeship scheme launched in 2017 enables staff to become upskilled via 20 off the job study while maintaining their full time salary This of course benefits the staff concerned but also their employers that are supporting the Continuing Professional Development CPD of their team and developing a more skilled workforce The partnership between universities and employers are powerful enablers for collaboration and generating new opportunities Apprenticeships ensure that students are presented new challenges in the workplace as an integrated part of their study %

,

-

(

.

)

.

.

.

The course benefits from being mostly online with options for local students to attend laboratories on campus as Covid guidelines allow The course is fully integrated meaning that in just 3 years graduates leave with firstly an honours degree in Biomedical Science IBMS accredited secondly a completed registration IBMS portfolio Thirdly a completed integrated End Point Assessment the university is the approved EPA provider giving the title of Apprenticeship thus the Levey funding for their study Lastly graduates are eligible to join the HCPC register the legally protected title for Biomedical Scientists More information and how to register for the course can be found here https www salford ac uk courses degree apprenticeship biomedical science healthcare science practitioner degree l smyth salford ac uk (

).

,

;

(

),

;

.

:

(

), ,

.

,

.

:

://

.

.

.

/

The Healthcare Science Practitioner / Biomedical Science programme at The University of Salford is led by Dr Lucy Smyth (pictured).

Launched at the inauguration of apprenticeships the course started with just one student and has quickly grown and become successful with over 30 registered students and has the potential to take on many more from all around the UK ,

.

47

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

@

/

-

-

.

/

-

.

-

-

-

.

The University of Salford strongly supports apprentices raising their profile in the scientific community during their learning.

One such opportunity is during the annual ‘National Apprenticeship Week (8th14th February 2021), where high-flying apprentices are nominated for the ‘Apprentice of the Year Award’ within each school. For the School of Science, Environment and Engineering this award went to Christine Egerton who recently completed her integrated Biomedical Science degree. Here’s her story.

Christine recently completed her final 3rd year of her apprenticeship combining her study with a full time time role based in Manchester Foundation Trust pathology labs specialising in Biochemistry and Genetic Medicine (

)

-

,

.

Dr Lucy Smyth nominated Christine with wholehearted support of the apprentice academic saying Since joining the Biomedical Science programme Christine has diligently immersed herself into the academic work gaining superb marks in many of her 2nd year and final year modules Apprentices have not had an easy journey through the pandemic Shining through the adversity means Christine can now register with the Health Care and Professions Council progress her career and perform the role of a fully registered biomedical scientist Well respected by peers and staff we feel Christine has truly deserved the award of Apprentice of the Year .

,

,

:

“

,

,

.

.

,

.

,

.”

Christine s diligent attitude in working as an apprentice through the pandemic displays her professionalism and quiet resilience which alongside an impressive performance in the degree s End Point Assessment shows her merit in earning the title of Apprentice of the Year Congratulations Christine

“

’

,

’

.

.”

Christine s employer Willink Laboratory Genomic Medicine at the Manchester Royal Infirmary Robert Gibson said Christine is a model employee She has put a lot of hard work and effort into becoming a Biomedical Scientist She has also had to manage her time very effectively to ensure all deadlines and objectives have been meet Christine is an asset to the laboratory and I am certain she will make a great success of her career as a Biomedical Scientist ’

(

,

),

,

“

:

.

.

.

,

.”

About the opportunities and experience of the programme Christine pictured said My career progression had come to a standstill due to not having a Biomedical Science degree (

"

.

)

:

The apprenticeship opened up the opportunity for me to be able to study for my degree while also being able to continue to work Salford was the most appealing as the scheme was already up and running .

.

This meant my attendance was only required one day a week which was a set day during term time to attend practical sessions on campus The advantage of this was that it enabled my employer to easily plan for my absence The apprenticeship at Salford appeared to offer me the best opportunity to equip me with the knowledge and learning to successfully complete my degree “"

,

,

.

.

.

During my workplace based final year project I developed an alternative method for the diagnosis of Gaucher disease The laboratory currently performs a lysosomal enzyme screen that consists of 16 enzymes being tested on a 5ml EDTA blood sample Gaucher disease is currently tested in this screen but the method used requires a large volume of sample to perform the analysis The method I developed requires less sample volume which enables more enzymes to be added to the screen without the patient needing to provide more sample “

(

-

)

,

.

;

.

,

.

My ambition is to secure a job as a HCPC registered Biomedical Scientist within the NHS My workplace based learning linked with my degree has given me first hand experience of what is required to be a Biomedical Scientist and I feel that I ve gained the confidence and knowledge to continue to develop and progress my skills I have a real sense of achievement having completed the degree and I believe it has equipped me with the tools to carve out a good career within the field “

-

.

-

-

,

’

.

.”

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

48

HOW CAN I MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE?

This is so important and getting into good habits now will help to set you up for a healthy work life balance for the rest of your life There will always be times when we need to work late or have a particularly busy period but this should be every now and then and not the norm if you can help it Not everyone has the luxury of being able to choose a good work life balance all the time at the end of the day we all have to pay the bills but if you find yourself spending a lot of time working but not actually getting a lot done then maybe your work life balance is something you need to address -

.

,

,

.

-

–

–

,

,

-

.

For me a good work life balance is partly about good planning and partly about respecting your own wellbeing Planning well helps you to use your time efficiently instead of spending a week twiddling with an assignment set yourself some deadlines For example spend an hour on your literature search 4 hours of reading time with a break then the next day you can crack that essay question Planning little rewards and downtime can help you to stick to the plan ,

-

,

.

;

,

.

,

,

(

!)

.

.

Now for the second part respecting your own wellbeing When you have a lot to do it s easy to fall into the trap of thinking there is no time for breaks or relaxation but this is a false economy If you feel overwhelmed with work this is a sure sign you need to take a good break and focus on your wellbeing even just an hour off can help Take a walk call a friend cook a meal spend some time doing anything that you find calming Investing in your wellbeing this way will pay off as you will be able to be more productive when you do choose to work :

.

’

,

.

,

,

,

.

,

,

.

,

.

49

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

eer pressure has role to play here too if your friends are pulling all nighters or your colleague is always the last to the leave the office it can be tempting to think that you should be too However this style of working is often a result of bad planning and procrastination and in ten years you will be very glad you took the time to look after yourself when you see your colleague is off work with stress and burnout No one is going to tell you to look after yourself so learn do this for yourself It s important :

‘

-

’

.

,

,

.

,

!

’

.

If you think you might fall into the procrastination trap we ve all been there have a go at these training sessions from the university for some practical advice on how to use your time efficiently https www salford ac uk library skills for learning personal skills (

’

!),

:

://

.

.

/

.

/

/

-

-

-

HOW DO I RELAX WHEN STRESSED ABOUT ASSIGNMENTS?

A good starting point is to try and identify what exactly is causing the stress Having to complete assignments doesn t have to be stressful so maybe there is an underlying issue which is causing the stress For example is it a topic you feel under confident about Have you run out of time Do you feel like you don t know how to start If you can identify what the barrier is before your stress levels get too high then you can take action to fix it .

’

,

.

,

-

?

?

’

?

,

.

Without exception, getting started with assignments as soon as they are set will always work in your favour as it gives you time to identify the gaps in your skills or knowledge and then take steps to work on them. I really recommend these tutorials from the library when preparing for your assessments; they have some practical hints and tips to help you do your best: https://www.salford.ac.uk/library/skills-forlearning/assessments HOW DO I MANAGE MY TIME WHEN I HAVE MULTIPLE DEADLINES DUE AT THE SAME TIME? The best way to manage deadlines that are close together is to set yourself a false deadline. For example, if you have 2 weeks to complete two assignments, spend a week on one and set yourself a ‘pretend’ deadline 1 week earlier than the actual deadline. Then when it’s done, leave it alone! Now you have a week to work on the next assignment. See the link below for a nice tutorial about ‘owning your learning’ which can help you to take control in situations like this: https://www.salford.ac.uk/library/skills-forlearning/personal-skills

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

50

BioArt Club Biomed Book Club Bioscientist Magazine Events and socials Salford Biomedicine students: join the society at https://www.salfordstudents.com/groups/biomedical-science-9e9d

This academic year started off with a strong sense of confusion and uncertainty for many students a sentiment that became apparent upon discussion with Biomedicine students in casual society meetings The challenges that the pandemic posed were new and unprecedented the seeming lack of proximity to the wider student community inability engage in collaborative projects and the feelings of loneliness that came with this Adjusting to this new form of university life through harnessing the power of technology was difficult at first and called for an extraordinary form of grit and resilience I am proud to say that these challenges paved the way for unparalleled growth for the society which has gone from strength to strength over recent months We owe these achievements to wonderful diversity in the talents of Biomedicine students and the invaluable support of academic staff ,

.

:

,

.

,

.

.

,

.

Part of accommodating the restrictions imposed by the pandemic was finding virtual spaces to express ourselves and feel a sense of community and if they didn t exist creating them ourselves One such example is our use of virtual study rooms where students continue to enjoy the company and support of other students whilst studying Other initiatives include a Book club for invigorating discussions our BioArt club to help relax and express creativity alongside a heavily technical programme of study and online student socials for games and a good laugh This is all aside from the launch of our most collaborative project yet Bioscientist Magazine (

,

'

)

,

.

,

.

,

,

.

:

.

So yes the year started off with the urgent need to adapt to and overcome challenges but ended with a plethora of lessons experiences and online friends the main legacy of which is this very publication ,

,

,

(

)

,

.

Biomedicine Society it has certainly been a pleasure leading an exceptional team through this remarkable year Here s to the future ,

.

'

!

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

52

EXHILARATING EVENTS: RECENT AND FUTURE

BY CHARLES MIDDLETON EVENTS SECRETARY ,

With a great finish to trimester 1 and 2 students have organised some extraordinary and enjoyable socials in such a short time span The excellent collaboration between students and teaching staff have brought about several exhilarating events since the last issue of the magazine New developments of the society have thrived rapidly by the remarkable efforts of the Biomed Soc ,

.

.

!

The trimester one launch event brought about the true motivation and hard work from the inspirational community of the biomedicine society which initiated further successful events Shortly after at the Xmas Extravaganza event students and staff came together once more and we even had our Alumni Danny Gaskin join the festive fun whilst also sharing his career story The hard work and determination of everyone s contributions was celebrated with lots of fun games and positivity throughout Achievements were celebrated with an array of entertaining stories a festive quiz a scientific adventure Christmas bingo origami and even some exercise The unforgettable joyful atmosphere was enjoyed with great attendance it was a shame we were not all gathered in Santa s grotto .

,

–

.

’

,

,

.

,

,

,

,

!

-

’

!

Another recent event which took place was the Bioemd Soc spring social where students had a chance to unwind with an origami session played entertaining games like Among Us and Pictionary and made some amazing memories We want to offer a warm invitation to all students to come along to one of our socials join our welcoming and friendly group Everyone is most welcome You will get the opportunity to make new friends have fun and be part of a community You do not need to travel anywhere too so you can enjoy the advantages of being in the comfort of your own home or accommodation ,

,

,

!

-

!

!

,

.

,

!

53

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

There are plans to get involved with raising money for charitable organisations and students are planning on even designing an online Etsy store to sell handmade items and artwork pieces This work will be funded by the Salford Advantage fund ,

.

.

New exercise classes will be starting up soon so why not join in I don t think limits an inspirational quote from Usain Bolt may persuade you to give it a go Broaden your horizons We really do have something for everyone ,

?

“

’

”,

!

!

!

We have numerous ideas and several student led events coming up in the pipeline for you to be involved in -

.

We are open to new ideas and feedback We encourage you to actively contribute to these socials and get involved with the student community other students have given us really positive feedback and had the opportunity to make friends despite not attending classes this year and we think it s important to remember that you won t get this time back so don t waste it !

-

,

'

'

-

'

.

Our next social is May June celebrating the end of trimester 2 and for most the academic year Look out for the poster /

,

,

.

!

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

|

54

The Biomedicine society launched its very own book club! If you're not already a member, it's never too late to join. When you join the Biomedicinee society, you'll be added to our Microsoft Teams page, where you will see all the updates about events!

Every month we will read and discuss a new book This is a great chance to explore new ideas ways of writing and read books you might not have read otherwise We might discuss controversial topics such as ethics and express our individual opinions Being a student is a stressful experience as we are sure you ll know so reading is a great chance to have some much needed downtime and lose yourself in a book These fun and informal sessions are the perfect opportunity for you to meet like minded people and explore exciting new books !

BY MEGAN PHILLIPS AND MARTA HOLOWINA

,

,

.

.

(

'

!)

-

!

-

!

Our next book club meeting will be held via Microsoft Teams to discuss Being Mortal by Atul Gawande Keep up with our MS Teams page to find out the date of the meeting .

!

The book addresses end of life care hospice care and also contains Gawande s reflections and personal stories Being Mortal reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced Nursing homes devoted above all to safety battle with residents over the food they are allowed to eat and the choices they are allowed to make Doctors uncomfortable discussing patients anxieties about death fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them -

-

,

,

'

.

.

,

,

.

,

’

,

.

The ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life all the way to the very end “

–

.”

Suppose you haven t already joined the Biomed soc In that case you can do this by going onto the student union website searching for Biomed society and filling out your membership form Once you re part of the Biomed Society you will be able to access these monthly meetings Get ready for some discussion debate and reflection We hope to see you soon ’

.

,

,

‘

’

!

’

,

.

,

!

!

55

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

The Passion Flash competition invaded the thoughts of many students here at Salford with incredible prizes of up to 250 in Amazon vouchers per year group funded by the Salford Community for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Students from the School of Science Environment and Engineering auditioned with a 2 minute Ted talk style video on a topic they were passionate about Of the 30 auditions just 18 were selected to go through to the finals what a tough call for the judges The finals took place on the 28th April 2021 as an exciting online event allowing both student and staff to make the best out of a strange period in university life ,

£

,

.

,

-

.

,

–

!

,

.

PassionFlash is likely to become an annual event that allows for development of a huge variety of skills. For more updates on opportunities like this, follow BiomedSoc on twitter @SocBiomed

Aksa Ghulam right stole the public vote with her dazzling transformation into an anatomically accurate human heart while sharing her personal story of spending her first days with a ventricular heart defect (

)

.

2nd: Leanne Ashworth Climate Change

150 prize

(£

57

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

)

3rd: Angela Ouya Decolonising Education

75 prize)

(£

Missed out on the action? No worries! You can catch up on the full live event on YouTube by scanning the QR code on the right or following this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMoX_K19JTg

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE | 58

26th February 2021 saw the conclusion and celebration of the Bioart 2020 21 competition the BioArt final -

:

.

Seventeen finalists were selected out of twenty four entries from students and alumni across the Biomedicine programme and Biomedicine Society by an internal biomedicine staff vote -

.

The competition started with introductory talks about the beautiful relationship between art and biomedicine before moving onto a vote on the best 7 pieces from the 17 anonymous finalists by the attendees of the final From there an independent panel of judges from the Students Union the School of Arts Media Creative Technologies School of Science Environment Engineering and external institutions selected the ranking of the final pieces the creators of which would become prize winners The final rankings are ,

.

,

'

;

,

;

,

&

&

;

,

.

:

1st Heartblooms :

by Caitlin Owen 100 prize (£

)

2nd: Life on the Inside

by Patricia Medeiros 50 prize (£

)

3rd (jointly): The Beauty Within

by Zain Mirza 25 prize (£

&

)

Turning the page for a breath of fresh air

by Morgan Brown 25 prize (£

)

4th (jointly) Always Thinking, Always Thinking, Always Thinking, Always Thinking .

by Sadija Kahn book prize (

&

)

Knowledge is the infinite beauty

by Nana Nabiha Yussuf book prize -

(

)

& The growth and development that tribulation brings

by Komal Amar book prize (

)

Read on to see the winners Please note all rights reserved The success of the competition is expected to become an annual event and has led to new opportunities for the club the BioArt Club has now secured funding for artistic materials and live sessions and new exciting projects are planned for over summer Watch this space .

:

.

:

,

.

!

59

|

BIOSCIENTIST MAGAZINE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / CAITLIN OWEN, DEPUTY EDITOR / NADIA PATEL ASSISTANT EDITOR / BRUCE VELOSO HEAD OF REFERENCING / DIMITRIOS BITAS ACADEMIC SUPPORT / AIMEE PINNINGTON AND DR. SARA NAMVAR GRAPHIC DESIGN / CAITLIN OWEN AND NADIA PATEL COVER ART / ZAIN MIRZA

bioscientistmagazine@outlook.com Instagram | salfordbiosoc Twitter | @SocBiomed

bioscientistmagazine.com