Vicky Emuss
Completion date: 2007
Division: Cancer Therapeutics
Vicky graduated from the ICR in 2007 with a PhD in molecular cell biology and was also awarded The Chairman’s prize for best graduating student. She currently works at The Wolfson Institute of Biomedical Research,UCL (London) as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in Notch signalling and Kaposi's sarcoma.
Vicky undertook her PhD, entitled 'C-RAF Mutations in Human Cancer', in the ICR’s Signal Transduction Team. "My PhD supervisor was one of the most respected scientists in this field. It was slightly daunting at first, but along with the entire lab, he was supportive and encouraging. Working in his team undoubtedly helped me develop a wide range of skills that are invaluable in my continuing research," says Vicky.
The RAF serine/threonine protein kinases have a conserved role in MAPK signalling as part of the ERK signalling pathway, which plays an important role in the development of cancer. "There are three mammalian RAF isoforms: A-RAF, B-RAF and C-RAF. B-RAF is mutated in approximately 8% of human cancers, so it’s regarded as extremely important in research terms," explains Vicky.
Through collaborative work, Vicky identified four coding region variants in the C-RAF gene that resulted in amino acid changes in C-RAF. "One of the best aspects of working at the ICR is that there are so many great scientists from varied backgrounds which means joint projects have enormous scope," she reveals.
Vicky studied for her PhD at the ICR's Chelsea site. "I must admit part of the ICR’s appeal was its city location. After a hard day’s work it’s fantastic to have so many interesting venues right on your doorstep."
Post-ICR, Vicky has found that obtaining a PhD from the ICR an invaluable asset. "It isn’t just about having the letters PhD after your name. Employers do take note of where you studied. Because the ICR is ranked as the top cancer research centre in Europe, it looks great on my CV and has given me a lot of career opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise had."
