Luke Taylor
Undergraduate - BSc with Honors in Chemistry, University of Leicester
From 2005 - 2008 I studied for my undergraduate BSc in Chemistry at Leicester University, where I achieved an Upper Second Class degree with Honors. In my third year I did my dissertation synthesising deuterated ortho/para - substituted aromatic amines at the α-carbon position, with the main aim of creating higher yields with a greater leavel of purity. These amines where then to be used in probing the mechanism of aromatic amine dehydrogenase (AADH) which catalyses the oxidative deamination of primary amines at the tryptophan tryptophylquinone. This was all performed under the supervision of Professor Paul Cullis.
Postgraduate - MSc in Mathematical Biology and Biophysical Chemistry, MOAC DTC, The University of Warwick
From 2008 - 2009 I undertook my interdisciplinary Masters in Mathematical Biology and Biophysical Chemistry which is an EPSRC funded studentship as part of Warick University's Molecular Organisation and Assembly in Cells Doctoral Training Centre directed by Professor Alison Rodger. As part of this taught masters I under took three mini-projects in three different disciplines, one with a theoretical/mathematical focus, the second a Biological and the third a physical science focus:
Theoretical Project – Measuring and Analysing Brain Activity Using EEG – with Dr Magnus Richardson – in this project I used the mathematical programme Matlab, to fourier transform EEG data to make it easier for psychologists to infer information with regards to alpha wave activity.
Biological Project – Perception of Pain: the effects if up-regulation of endocannabinoids on dorsal root afferent-mediated synaptic transmission – with Professor Dave Spanswick - in this project I used the difficult technique of blind whole cell patch clamping, to investigate the effects of anandamide and fatty acid amine hydrogenase inhibitor and on efferent mediated dorsal root ganglions.
Physical Sciences Project – Labelling of Bacterial cells with fluorescent peptidoglycan intermediates – with Professor Tim Bugg – The results from this project were so novel that the project is going through the application for publication.
PhD - Investigation into the process of moving NO, nitrates and nitrites across mammalian cell membranes in vascular and immune tissues, and synthesising compounds to aid or inhibit this potentially selective process, Prof. Martin Feelisch (Warwick Medical Schoool), Prof. Peter Sadler (Warwick Chemistry Department) and Dr Alexander Conner (Warwick Medical School)
2009 - Present - I am currently doing my PhD under the supervision of Professor Martin Feelisch (Warwick Medical School), Professor Peter Sadler (Director of Warwick Chemistry Department) and Dr Alexander Conner (Warwick Medical School) investigating the role of NO and how it moves across mammalian cellular membranes with a focus on vascular and immune tissues. I will be looking at aquaporins as a method for specifically controlling their movements and synthesising compounds to affect or alter these pathways.
