Biochemistry Personal Statement

My interest in Biochemistry came to fruition when my father sustained a severe injury. Fortunately his leg healed to a point he could use it. However longer than 10 minutes of pressure caused immense agony as the injury had an impact on his nervous system. He was admitted to pain management and over a period of 6 years, he was given a wide range of medicine from Pregabalin to Nortripyline to help subdue the discomfort. These drugs were purely masking and helping to manage the pain, but as with all medication, after prolonged use his body became immune to them. The immediate solution was to increase the dosage of drugs because of this. He was later advised that a long-term solution, which may not have any side effects could be a spinal stimulator, which reduces pain by blocking signals from the affected nerves. What intrigued me was the effectiveness of the spinal stimulater and understanding it as an alternative to the medicine he was originally given. The lack of side

Maths has helped me with calculations, ratios and measurement, for what is right for the body and what it needs to keep functioning. In Biology, I enjoy understanding the function at a molecular and cellular level, through studying genetics. The pure complexity of our chemical make-up fascinates me, particularly considering how an entire organism can be reduced to a single element and its interactions. I am intrigued by how our bodies are adapted to fighting disease, and how the immune responses enable it to do this. But even with our defence mechanisms, our bodies still fail to fight many of these pathogens. This is where drugs can help and a functional group can change the structure of the molecule and its chemical properties. But the slightest change to a single molecule can spell disaster. My laboratory work in both biology and chemistry has allowed me to develop skills such as analytics, problem-solving, organisation and working