Peak Proteins Welcomes Dr Joshua Shaw
Peak Proteins welcomes Dr Joshua Shaw who joins us as a Protein Scientist. Josh is an experienced laboratory scientist having worked in academia and industry with a variety of expression systems and purification protocols.
A Short Spell Away from the Laboratory
After graduating from the University of Sheffield with a BSc in Biomedical Science, Josh decided initially not to continue an academic career and joined Gillespie Manners, a head-hunter for the management consulting market. Working with pharmaceutical companies, Josh’s interest in drug discovery was ignited.
Academic Career
Josh went on to gain an MRes in tissue engineering at the University of Manchester, adapting cell culture medium components and conditions for the directed differentiation of stem cells (adult and embryonic). Josh commented, “Stem cells are difficult to culture. There have been times when I have unintentionally, spontaneously, created heart muscles!”.
Having really enjoyed the lab project during his MRes, Josh decided to continue with a PhD. Josh added, “Being dyslexic, I always felt that my writing skills would let me down when it came to completing my thesis. The MRes gave me the confidence to carry on which I am very glad about because I was keen to stay in a laboratory environment”.
Josh expressed recombinant vertebrate-like collagen fragments from E.coli for use as a tissue culture plastic coating and gained an in-depth knowledge of complex 3D cell culture systems. His research also showed that an immortalised, clonal line of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) maintained the responsiveness to substrate mechanics observed in primary cells and could be used as a reporter of stiffness [1], facilitating mechanical characterisation of new materials developed for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Working in Industry
With his experience of 3D hydrogel culture, creating a tissue-like environment, Josh joined Manchester Biogel based at Alderley Park. “Manchester Biogel is a small company, and I was able to gain a lot of experience working in various aspects of a business, including quality management systems, risk assessments and marketing”.
Joining Peak Proteins
“I was interested in joining a larger company. Although my time at Manchester Biogel was interesting, I wanted to work in a laboratory full time. Working at Peak Proteins, there is such an opportunity to gain experience of different proteins and systems and learn new techniques”, commented Josh.
Dr Chris Cooper added, “We are delighted to welcome Josh. He will be working with the protein science team gaining experience of protein purification techniques before he joins Dr Mark Elvin and the cell culture team to learn more about the varied expression systems we use at Peak Proteins”.
Life Outside Work
Josh is a keen rock climber and over the past 15 years has practiced all styles from bouldering to traditional and sport climbing. On his climbing adventures, Josh is often accompanied by his Shetland Sheepdog, Fenwick. Depending on the weather, Josh can also be found tending his Bonsai in the garden or listening to audiobooks, having acquired a library of over 70 books during lockdown.
[1] An immortalised mesenchymal stem cell line maintains mechano-responsive behaviour and can be used as a reporter of substrate stiffness. Sci Rep 8, 8981 (2018) Galarza Torre, A., Shaw, J.E., Wood, A. et al. Download the open access PDF
