Dr Lauren Buck

I specialise in Anatomy education at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. I am particularly interested in student and staff engagement, student voice and inclusivity. I also consider the ways that students learn and the value of enterprise activities in the learning environment. I am currently working on multiple projects as part of my Engagement Lead role.

My PhD research focussed on the use of the zebrafish as a model organism to identify the unwanted ototoxic effects of compounds at the early pre-clinical stages of drug development. Specifically, the research aimed to assess the comparative translational capability and validity of this model system by using a combination of established histological and novel functional assays. More detailed investigations into the underlying mechanisms of cisplatin-induced hair cell damage were performed to further validate the model, giving rise to a number of potential routes for further exploration. 

Research centre affiliations

• Pedagogical Research in Biomedical Science and Developmental Biology

Learning and Teaching Focus (projects):

Ongoing projects

• Action research projects with a focus on student and staff engagement (joint with Student Staff committee)
• Investigating the impact of ‘Peer Assisted Study Sessions’ debrief sessions on curriculum development (staff-student co-creation), and on the benefits of collaborative learning for the PASS Leaders themselves.
• Incorporating enterprise education into the anatomy teaching curriculum (ECD grant and Senate Award grant). The aim of the project is to encourage students to become creative problem-solvers, to apply their academic knowledge to real life situations and to develop skills in managing limited resources.

Completed projects

• 2014/15: Strategic focus: Overcoming Challenges in Anatomy Teaching in Response to Increased Student Numbers. Involved survey of 201 Level 2 students.
• 2013: The use of technology in large group teaching scenarios. This work was funded by the Physiological Society. The aim of this work was to develop up-to-date teaching materials in order to enhance the delivery of Physiology laboratory classes for both staff and students. This work involved the production of accessible video resources and interactive web pages to guide students through a variety of practical classes in “Classical Physiology” and facilitate independent learning.

Safety Pharmacology Focus

I currently hold a teaching (100%) position within the university but retain a fervent interest in ototoxicity research, particularly concerning the underlying mechanisms of cisplatin-induced hair cell damage and the prevention of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.

I am interested in using the zebrafish inner ear and lateral line systems to model compound-induced hearing and balance impairment in humans. My research has investigated the cellular and functional consequences of exposure to medicines that damage the hearing and balance systems as an off-target effect (ototoxins). I am especially interested in the effects of cisplatin (a platinum-based compound used in cancer treatment) and cisplatin-like compounds.

In 2014/15 I acted as Co-PI, supervising two PG Masters Students. The first project was part-funded by Action on Hearing Loss and involved collaboration with the Chemistry department; it focussed on testing newly synthesised photo-activated cisplatin-like compounds for their toxicity, and more specifically, toxicity to hair cells. The second project was tailored to a Taught Masters programme (MSc Molecular Medicine) and was entitled “The zebrafish as a screening tool to identify compounds with protective effects against cisplatin ototoxicity.”

The screening project identified a number of novel protective compounds against cisplatin ototoxicity and further work will be required to validate and characterise these hit compounds and to understand their underlying mechanisms of action.