Trang Kim Nguyen

Profile

I completed my undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at the Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London. My final year project revolved around the use of fragment based drug discovery (FBDD) in probing low molecular weight lead compounds of Rab27a, as a potential cancer target. 

I then moved to the University of Leeds, where I joined the 4-year integrated Masters programme: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. I am now based in the Institute of Medical and Biological Sciences (iMBE) in the Faculty of Biological Sciences. My PhD project is a multidisciplinary collaboration crossing between neuroscience in the Kwok group, and neural tissue engineering in the Phillips group at University College London. 

Research interests

The importance of modelling the correct mechanisms of traumatic spinal cord injury in vivo is being stressed more frequently due to the varying damage patterns observed and potential differences in responses to a specific treatment. My project aims to determine the effects of varying magnitudes of biomechanical forces and injury mechanisms on specific neural cell populations to gain a better insight into the relationship between mechanics and cell behaviour. An in vitro model is being utilised to investigate these questions in a more controlled and reproducible environment. 

Qualifications

• Biochemistry BSc Hons
• Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine MSc