BSGCT Newsletter September 2022

The latest news and updates from the BSGCT
Dear %FirstName%,

We are bringing back the “researcher of the month” section in our newsletters. This section includes a brief Q&A to a different member of our community each month so we can get to know other researchers and the work that is being done out there. If you or someone you know wants to be featured and share a glimpse of the work you do, please nominate them (or yourself) by sending an e-mail to media@bsgct.org.

We had a busy summer redesigning our website and are thrilled to launch our newly designed site, ready to explore at www.bsgct.org.

In other news, we are running our science writing competition with a generous prize for the winner! Check the simple guidelines here www.bsgct.org/writing-competition and submit before 30th September.

Finally, a friendly reminder that we are starting our online seminars again this month, and we hope to see you all in person in October at the ESGCT-BSGCT Collaborative Congress in Edinburgh www.esgctcongress.com.

Kind regards,

BSGCT Board.

NEXT EVENT

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Our online seminars begin again this month, with a Public and Patient Engagement seminar exploring Epidermolysis bullosa. Full details will be announced shortly on our website.

 

 

 

 

 

There is still time to register for the ESGCT and BSGCT Collaborative Congress, taking place from 11-14 October in Edinburgh. To view the programme, for more information and to register visit www.esgctcongress.com.

NEWS

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The BSGCT Science Writing Competition

The Writing Competition recognises outstanding written communication by students and research scientists. To enter, submit an original piece of writing on gene and cell therapy to media@bsgct.org by 30 September 2022. The winning entry will receive a prize of £250 and the winning and 2 runner-up articles will be posted on the BSGCT blog. More information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BSGCT Blogs! Check out our latest features

“Cancer Viro-Immunotherapy: Repurposing the Past to Shape the Future” by Rosie Mundy and Aimee Lucignoli, Cardiff University. Read more.

RESEARCHER SPOTLIGHT

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This month’s ‘researcher of the month’ is Dr Beata Surmacz-Cordle, GSK and BSGCT Board Member.

Short bio
In 2010 I completed my PhD at Imperial College London working in Meng Li’s lab in the field of developmental neurobiology and cell therapy for Parkinson’s Disease. After that I undertook postdoctoral fellowship at Pfizer in Cambridge (UK) where I worked on a cell therapy for Age Related Macular Degeneration. This work was carried out in close collaboration with Pete Coffey/UCL.

Since then I have continued my professional career in industry progressing from Senior Scientist to Lead scientist at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult in London where I not only had the opportunity to contribute to the growth of a start-up non-for profit organisation but also an amazing opportunity to work collaboratively on over 10 cell and gene therapy products and build my own team. For the past few years I have been working for GSK leading phase appropriate delivery of T-Cell based medicinal products.

What are you working on?
Following the theme from my Bio I am working on Cell and Gene Therapies specifically focusing on translation of T-cell based therapies into the clinic. I have this amazing opportunity, and I am fortunate, to work with subject matter experts spanning all stages of medicine development and to experience directly the positive impact, of innovative medicines we work on, on patients.

What got you interested in this field of research? What is the motivation behind your research/work?
My interest and passion originates from the time when I was around 8 years old. I suffered from myocarditis which saw me taken away from the school and spending lots of time in a hospital. That experience raised in me the interest in biological sciences and started my lifelong passion for creating innovative medicines that can cure others, just like it happened to me when I was young.

What is the most important thing you have learned working in this field?
When working on innovative medicines there are many ups and downs and many times it feels like we are going backwards rather than forward. It may often feel like chaos but rest assured it is chaos heading in the right direction. If we don’t take this challenge of innovating more people will stuffer from diseases that otherwise can be cured. So the take home message is : ‘’Never give up’’.

How did you get involved with BSGCT and what are the advantages of being part of the BSGCT community?
As a student and early in my career I used to be BSGCT member and I attended many meeting presenting posters. I found the meetings very valuable by bringing fantastic scientist discussions, helping me build the network and bringing opportunities in my career. Now as fully established professional I applied for BSGCT Board position and I am a Board member for the society hoping to make a lasting positive impact within the cell and gene therapy community, continuing to translate research to clinical applications.