Discovering Medicine & Sciences at Kings College London

During their one-to-one meetings with Dr Verney in the Lower Sixth both students Ollie and Erin expressed they were keen to do some work experience in the Biomedical Sciences during their summer holidays.

Dr James Clark is an Old Churcherian and visited the school last year to assist with university mock interviews so he was approached to see if you could place Erin and Ollie in his labs. This is Ollie and Erin’s story….

Over the summer we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a week at the Rayne Institute in St Thomas’ Hospital, part of King’s College London’s School of Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences, to gain a rare first-hand insight into the fascinating world of medical research.

Under the guidance of Dr James Clark and working alongside two physiology MSc students we were introduced to many of the techniques and methods that prove integral to molecular biological research, such as protein immunoblotting & gel electrophoresis to isolate specific proteins related to cardiac function.

We were also provided the opportunity to observe cardiac ultrasound of mice and laser confocal microscopy to analyse mouse heart tissue, as well as being able to experience other aspects of life within the institute such as faculty meetings discussing findings of ongoing research.

The experience greatly enhanced our knowledge and understanding of both human and animal cardiac physiology and provided us invaluable insight into the world of research as a potential career path going forward. We would like to thank Dr Clark for this amazing experience and would highly recommend it to anyone strongly considering medical research as a career option.