“The insight gained from these studies paves the way for new drug design and potential future therapies that could enhance brain activities such as learning and memory processes,” said Goodchild. “Receiving the Tocris Bioscience Prize for Pharmacological Research is great recognition for the work that we do here.”
There are around 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and each one makes around 10,000 connections with other neurons, yet little is understood about how the activity of an individual neuron is controlled.
Working in Professor Neil Marrion’s group in the Physiology and Pharmacology Department of Bristol University, Goodchild has been trying to understand the structure of the proteins that control the activity of these neurons, developing new strategies that could be helpful in various brain disorders.
Duncan Crawford, Tocris’ Chief Scientific Officer, said, “It is a great pleasure to be able to present this award to Sam on behalf of Tocris Bioscience. We are pleased to continue our long tradition of links with the Department of Biomedical Science at Bristol and I am particularly delighted that so many of the experimental compounds used in Sam’s research were sourced from Tocris”.
Head of Department, Professor Clive Orchard added “Sam has clearly demonstrated excellence in his postgraduate research.”
The Tocris Bioscience prize is awarded annually to the best final year pharmacology PhD student at Bristol University, as selected by the department. Consisting of a cash award and certificate, the prize reflects the close links between the two organisations and their shared commitment to excellence in life science research. Tocris Bioscience products are used by scientists carrying out research in fields such as cancer, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and obesity.