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In September 2012, Louise began a PhD research project at the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging (CABI), a new multidisciplinary research centre. Louise receives financial support for her research through the UCL Impact Studentship, a programme designed to attract researchers with the highest scientific skills to the field of biomedical and life sciences. The generous funding donated to the programme not only transforms the lives of PhD students, but also enables them to make a meaningful contribution to medical research at UCL and on a global scale.

Louise is researching a method to selectively tag cells so as to provide a means of tracking their fate once transplanted into humans. At present, it is difficult for researchers to determine whether the injected cells, once they enter the body, reach the target site and in what volume they do so. An imaging technique detects the pattern of radiation emitted from the compound labelled cells within the body and produces an image of the cells course. This versatile technique could be used to map the location and development of tumours.

The new Centre has brought together technology and expertise from research groups across the university. For PhD students like Louise this level of cross-disciplinary collaboration is unique to UCL.

“I work within a team of radiochemists and molecular biologists who deploy their individual expertise in order to realise their shared research goals. Studying at UCL has enabled me to gain experience of numerous research techniques, which will ultimately make me more employable. My supervisors are world-leading specialists in their fields; working alongside them has provided me with the tools to become an independent researcher, whilst gaining first hand exposure to cutting edge biomedical research. Since I joined the team at CABI, I have been brought closer to the real world impact of my studies. I was ecstatic to be selected to complete this PhD project and I am certain that the expert training I receive at UCL will be an invaluable asset to my career in scientific research.”

Thanks to the generous support of UCL’s alumni and friends, students like Louise are able to receive world-class training that will equip them to be the outstanding scientists and medical research pioneers of the future.