Pharmacological Sciences PhD Student Spotlight: Amanda Nguyen

UC Irvine’s PhD in pharmacological sciences program provides a unique opportunity for those interested in any scientific discipline represented by the pharmaceutical sciences faculty to have a year of broad, interdisciplinary training and extensive lab rotations followed by focused doctoral research in the pharmaceutical sciences research group of their choice.

Students can choose from one of three tracks within the program: pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, or medicinal chemistry.

PhD student, Amanda Nguyen, shares her experience at UCI and her research interest in aptamers and developing an in vitro screening platform for aptamers.

Q: What year are you in your program and who is your academic advisor? 

I am currently a third-year PhD student in Dr. Brian Paegel’s Lab.

Q: What research are you working on?  

I am working extensively with aptamers, single-stranded nucleic acid sequences that can form 3D conformations and bind to specific targets with high affinity.

More specifically, I am developing an in vitro, high-throughput screening platform that screens for aptamers with biological functions. 

Q: What is your research’s significance?  

Aptamers can act as antibody mimics due to their high affinity and specificity. Additionally, aptamers can be synthesized and modified chemically and have low immunogenicity. These advantages make aptamers promising diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Despite that, there is only one aptamer-based drug (Pegaptanib sodium) approved by the FDA so far.

The rate of functional aptamer discovery is slow due to the way they are discovered. Aptamers are discovered via affinity selection, however, the correlation between aptamer binding and biological function is not known and is often poor. We are developing a high-throughput activity-based aptamer screening technology to address this key limitation and accelerate the rate of functional aptamer discovery.

Q: What is your favorite part of your research lab?  

My research lab is very interdisciplinary, which helps me get exposed to diverse research topics. I also love working with my bright, supportive, resilient, and passionate lab members, who motivate me to learn more. Additionally, my academic advisor, Dr. Paegel, is an inspiring scientist who dares to ask difficult questions and sets high standards in his work. I am learning a lot from him.

Q: How has your experience in your PhD program at UCI contributed to your growth?  

As a research-intensive university, UCI has contributed a lot to my professional development as a scientist. I love how we have a lot of resources and core facilities that facilitate the research process. Additionally, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences has weekly seminar series, which helps me learn from academic and industrial experts.

Q: What do you plan to do after earning your PhD? 

Right now, I am still learning and exploring options. I am more inclined to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.