Steven Williams

What qualification do you hold?
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Applied Chemistry

Supervisors:
Associate Professor Alison Ung and Dr Ronald Shimmon

Research project title?
Alkaloid-Like Molecules as AChE Inhibitors and Anticancer Agents for Therapeutic Relief of Alzheimer’s Disease and Cancer

Describe your research project
My project is to develop potential new drugs for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease and the most common type of dementia. It is suffered by 35–40 million patients worldwide and results in symptoms such as decreased cognitive function, memory loss and difficulties with rationality to name a few. The underlying biology of the disease is complex and not yet fully understood and so there is currently no way to cure the disease. There is however treatments for relieving the symptoms through the use of a class of drugs called acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors. There is a limited number of AChE inhibitors used in Australia, all of which have undesirable side effects ranging from headaches, dizziness, nausea to indigestion, vomiting and diarrhea. It is therefore imperative to try and find replacements for these, with drugs that have fewer drawbacks of their use – and that is the goal of my research.

My project is looking specifically at a class of compounds that mimic the properties of natural bio-active molecules. These compounds are derived from natural products. The advantage of this is that the starting material is readily available and a renewable resource that gives a structurally complex compound with drug-like-properties in one simple step. From there a whole range of other molecules can be developed, so eventually one can be suitable enough to submit for further testing and development by a pharmaceutical company.

What is the aim of your project?
The aim of my project is to synthesis novel alkaloid-like molecules (that is synthetically made alkaloids) that could be used for developing new drugs for treating Alzheimer’s disease and possibly other diseases such as cancer and infection. In doing so, the project will allow me to develop a deep understanding of the type of chemistry used in the reactions and the way that the alkaloid-like molecules developed behave both chemically and as AChE inhibitors. This will also advance the understanding of the biological targets so that educated decisions can be made as to how molecules can be designed to interact with them in the future. Hopefully, this will bridge the current gap in knowledge that will help others make advancements in the same field.

Why did you choose to pursue a research degree as opposed to going into the work force? Why this area of research?
I perused a research degree after I completed my honours, which was an excellent taste of what doing a PhD and being a researcher would be like. It was my most enjoyable year at the University and I highly recommend that everyone to do it, as you learn so much and develop more as a scientist in one year than in the whole undergraduate time frame. It only seemed natural then for me to continue doing what I enjoyed but also to continue developing to the point where completing a Ph.D. would mean there are no limitations on the type of career I can peruse in the future. The three years of research is also the perfect opportunity to find my ideal balance between self-directed learning, lab work and creativity.

I chose the area of medicinal chemistry as it was most interesting to me because of its cross-disciplinary nature and its requirement to have a large skill set from chemistry and instrumentation to biology. It also has such influential real life applications and is a direct way to better the lives of so many people, which is really what science is all about.

What is your daily activity?
Currently, my daily routine at uni involves attempting reactions to make novel molecules, which if made successfully are purified with chromatograph before using the available instruments to collect data and characterise the pure compounds. When not in the research lab, I am writing and processing the data collected as well as being a teaching associate and demonstrating for first-year chemistry and second-year organic chemistry labs. Somewhere in the middle, lunch is squeezed in with the other research students, which is always good down time and a chance to have a laugh with other like-minded people.

Apart from uni I play rugby union as well as dabbling in a bit of music, if not writing and recording my music, I help friends in local bands produce their own songs.

What attracted you to research at UTS Science?
The academics at UTS are a major reason, within chemistry, they are all extremely dedicated to helping everyone reach their full potential while still being very personable and have a wealth of knowledge they are willing to share. Otherwise the workspace and communal environment in the labs is great for collaboration and bouncing ideas of other researchers which encourages personal development as a scientist and researcher. There are also many opportunities to mentor undergraduate researchers and be a lab demonstrator for undergraduate subjects.

What is your future?
After completing my PhD I plan on finding a job in research and development for a pharmaceutical company, possibly even moving to Europe to do so. Otherwise I am also interested in work in industry to learn a few new skills, however my childhood dream has always been to work for the CSIRO.