ApconiX Welcomes Esther McVey MP
We were delighted to welcome Esther McVey MP for Tatton to ApconiX on Friday 12th of August. She congratulated us on our recent success with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise having been recognised for excellence in International Trade. We shared with her our ambitions around growth and on helping to train the next generation of drug safety scientists. Ruth and Esther agreed that we are well placed to help galvanise the productivity of Biosciences in the Northwest and beyond and to challenge existing thinking around translating scientific discovery into prosperity.
Professor Ruth Roberts and Esther McVey MP
Esther McVey MP
We showed her around our new office and laboratory space where she met many of the staff and was shown our state-of-the-art equipment for measuring electrical currents through ion channels and for measuring electrical signalling in brain and heart cells. Mike explained that we have lots of different ways to measure electrical currents through ion channels, depending on client needs. Esther looked very at home in her ApconiX lab coat with the Nanion Patchliner!
Esther was fascinated by all of it but was particularly taken by the work Kim is carrying out looking at electrical traces generated by brain or heart cells measured by microelectrode array (MEA). These colourful traces can be seen on the screen in the background! We use the MEA system to look at how electrical communications between brain cells or between heart cells might be disrupted by potential new drugs, something we want to avoid. By combining ion channel data with MEA data, we are able to advise and guide clients on both safety and efficacy within their drug discovery programmes.
Dr Michael Morton and Esther McVey MP
