Pembroke Student Alex Welch Publishes Research in Nature Methods

Research that Pembroke student Alex Welch undertook during his undergraduate studies has been published in Nature Methods. Alex studied Biochemistry at Pembroke from 2018, graduating with First Class Honours in 2022. 

Currently, Alex is in his first year of a Biochemistry DPhil at Pembroke, having been awarded the Oxford-Percival Stanion Graduate Scholarship in Biochemistry. He is researching mRNA therapeutics in a collaboration with Professor Simon Draper’s malaria lab & is supervised by Pembroke Tutor Professor Andre Furger.

Reflecting on the publication of his research, Alex shares:

“I am very grateful to Pembroke College for making this possible by funding my research internship with a Rokos Award. This fantastic scheme provides STEM undergraduates at Pembroke the opportunity to spend the summer gaining valuable research experience. In addition to aiding my 4th year research project, this inspired me to pursue research further by undertaking a Biochemistry DPhil at Pembroke.

In this research article, we showcase a native mass spectrometry approach to analyse membrane protein-lipid complexes directly from near-physiological membrane conditions. This novel method can determine protein oligomeric states, identify interacting lipids, and provide critical information about membrane properties. Combining this platform with molecular dynamics simulations, we show how lipid binding regulates the speed of synaptic vesicle fusion.

Many thanks to my supervisor, Dr Anna Duncan, and to Professor Kallol Gupta’s brilliant team at Yale University. Honoured to have been part of this collaboration!”

Link to full PDF: https://rdcu.be/daThh