Last week was a fantastic one for me. Not only did I start my journey at Catalyst, but I also received the exciting news that my PhD was officially ratified by the University of Bristol’s faculty exam board!
As the newest member of the team and a fresh face in the R&D tax sector, we thought it would be a great idea for me to share a bit about my STEM background. Who knows, I might end up being the go-to technical person for projects involving biotechnology and drug discovery!
Before diving into my PhD project, let me take you on a quick detour to my Masters research – it’s a bit unconventional but fascinating. My project was all about making fish vaccination more efficient. Yes, you read that right – vaccinating fish! Just like farm animals such as cows and pigs, fish (mainly salmon in the UK) are vaccinated to protect them from diseases. But how do you vaccinate a fish, you ask? Well, it’s quite a process and worth looking up photos online. Fish are taken out of the water and individually injected before being returned to their watery homes. This method is incredibly labour-intensive and not cost-effective for vaccinating smaller, lower-value fish, which are often farmed in less economically developed countries. On average, fish farmers lose about 20% of their stock to disease globally.
My Masters project aimed to tackle this issue by genetically modifying algae to contain a vaccine. The idea was to feed this algae to the fish, ensuring they received a standard dose and that the vaccine could be absorbed through their gut, thus providing protection against the specific pathogenic virus. I was on the brink of getting the genetically modified algae ready when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, unfortunately halting my progress.
Fast forward to September 2020, during the second COVID-19 lockdown, I began my PhD at the University of Bristol. My research group was in the School of Biochemistry, focusing on protein engineering, synthetic biology, and structural biology. My project was in the field of vaccine development, centring around a virus-like particle called ADDomer. These particles mimic viruses, so your immune system recognises them and mounts a protective response, just like it would against a real virus. However, since they lack viral DNA, they can’t infect you or multiply in your body.
My goal was to engineer ADDomer to target Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a virus that poses a significant health burden in both the elderly and in infants under two years old. My engineered ADDomer ultimately went into pre-clinical trials in mice. During the period of my PhD project, ADDomer was commercialised by a spin-out company called Imophoron, and I was involved in commissioning Imophoron’s research laboratory alongside carrying out my lab work.
While I loved my project and scientific research as a whole, I ultimately wanted a career outside the lab where I could still satisfy my scientific curiosity. That’s what led me to Catalyst, where I can continue to expand and utilise my scientific knowledge alongside my role as Client Project Manager.
Article written by Charlotte Fletcher on 24th March 2025