Year 12 Chemistry students at St John’s Sixth Form in Bishop Auckland are building on the success of an innovative tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery project developed in partnership with Durham University and Newcastle University.
The students have been using computer-aided design techniques to create potential drug molecules and investigate how effectively they interact with a target protein. As part of the project, they have also spent time in the Chemistry laboratories at Durham University, synthesising their designs and preparing them for further analysis.
The work continues an exciting research initiative that began last year with support from The Royal Society of Chemistry and the tuberculosis project team. Through the project, students are gaining first-hand experience of genuine scientific research, using many of the same techniques employed by professional researchers.
Building on findings from the previous cohort of students, this year's Year 12 chemists are exploring the size and shape of small molecules that could help enhance the performance of existing anti-tuberculosis drugs. Using this knowledge, they are designing and testing a new range of compounds with the aim of further improving current drug therapies and expanding on the promising results already achieved.
The project follows the outstanding work of previous St John's students, whose research contributed to the discovery of compounds with potential to boost the effectiveness of TB treatments as part of a wider collaboration between local schools, Durham University and Newcastle University.
For the current Year 12 students, the opportunity offers a unique insight into university-level scientific research while developing skills in chemistry, problem solving and drug discovery. Their recent lab sessions at Durham University mark the latest stage in a project that continues to inspire the next generation of scientists at St John’s Sixth Form.