Last week, cardiovascular researchers and healthcare professionals from around the UK attended the annual British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Conference in Manchester. It also provided an opportunity for DPAG DPhil students to present their latest research findings.
Dr Tonia Thomas, who recently completed her DPhil in the Smart Group, was selected to present in an oral session entitled “Best of the Best: Basic Science”. Tonia’s project "Neovascularisation of the heart post-MI: a role for endocardial trabeculation?" revealed the important contribution of new blood vessels from the heart’s inner lining after a heart attack and identified a key molecular pathway that may be therapeutically targeted to enhance repair of the damaged heart.
Associate Professor Samira Lakhal-Littleton also presented her recently published work at the same session.
Sonali Munshaw, a first year DPhil student, also in the Smart Group, was shortlisted from a record number of entries as a finalist in the prestigious Young Investigators Prize. Competition was fierce again this year and Sonali lined up against two senior post-doctoral researchers and a University Lecturer.
For her outstanding talk on "Thymosin b4 – a novel regulator of low density lipoprotein receptor related protein 1 (LRP1) in vascular disease", she was awarded a runner-up prize worth £500.