Jenna graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2022 with a BSc in Biochemistry. She achieved a first in her undergraduate research project which concerned the role of metabolic stress on pancreatic beta cell function, investigating its contribution to the development of type 2-diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The study highlighted the importance of understanding molecular pathways in beta cells for developing prevention measures and new therapeutic options for T2DM.
This project sparked her interest in the molecular mechanisms of diseases such as diabetes and cancer, leading Jenna into her next endeavour at Nottingham Trent University.
She is currently completing a MRes in Cancer Biology where her research is centred on colon cancer. The focus of her project is the link between the NF-κB pathway and the tumor microenvironment in driving the different sub-types of colorectal carcinoma. She has built on both laboratory and bioinformatic based techniques such as chromatography, electrophoresis, and the use of programmes such as R Studio. This Masters project is currently ongoing.
The end goal of the project is to clarify the role of a lipase in the non-cancerous cells of the tumour microenvironment, identifying it as a target for a therapeutic treatment for colon cancer, improving outcomes for patients.
Between her undergraduate degree and Masters, Jenna travelled around Europe for a month which is something she would like to continue doing in the future. She also likes reading, particularly science-related books, with her most recent read being ‘The Selfish Gene’ by Richard Dawkins.