Alex Welch attends virtual International Conference with Pembroke’s Tutorials Plus grant

The Pembroke College Tutorials Plus grant provides access to funds that enrich students’ learning and support activities such as subject talks or visits to subject-specific learning opportunities. Alex Welch (2018, Biochemistry) has recently taken advantage of the Tutorials Plus grant to attend virtually the 2021 International mRNA Health Conference. Alex shared his research project with us and the impact of attending this conference:

“For my Part II research project, I am developing a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine to prevent blood-stage malaria. Throughout this exciting project, I have been fortunate to receive outstanding support from my supervisor, Prof. Andre Furger. Thanks to funding from Tutorials Plus, I was able to virtually attend the 2021 International mRNA Health Conference, streamed live from Berlin. This gave me the opportunity to hear the latest insights from pioneers of mRNA technology across academia and industry. A particular highlight was the round-table discussion between the CEOs of BioNTech, Moderna and CureVac; it was fascinating to hear their views on how we can learn from the COVID-19 crisis to accelerate future vaccine development. As well as learning of cutting-edge advancements directly relevant to my research, this two-day event increased my passion for translational science and further inspired me to apply to PhD programmes”