James Farmer

Background

About James Farmer

I am an enthusiastic pharmacologist inspired to discover novel therapeutics and new technologies for exploring and understanding drug action. I have had the privilege to work at fantastic institutions both industrial and academic, pushing the boundaries of molecular pharmacology and Drug Discovery. I was awarded the 2020 AJ Clark PhD Studentship from the British Pharmacological Society to research and develope universal sensors for identifying use-dependent intracellular allosteric modulators of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). This encompassed a wide range of techniques (e.g, NanoBRET/FRET and confocal imaging) to explore drug binding, drug induced conformational change and receptor interactions to develope novel high-throughput methods for allosteric modulator identification. Prior to my PhD I undertook an MSci in biology, specialising in pharmacology and drug discovery, working towards understanding the mechanism of action of intracellular allosteric modulators at G protein coupled receptors. I have also spent time within the pharmaceutical industry, undertaking preclinical identification and characterisation of novel compounds and working as part of a team to drive lead compound development. My experiences drive me to embrace a forward-thinking attitude towards research and embrace innovation and the exciting prospects offered for the future. I hope to employ my strong foundation in pharmacological research while continually learning and incorporate emerging technologies to forward Drug Discovery.