Success for Birmingham researchers in Wellcome Career Development Awards

Two researchers from the University’s College of Medicine and Health were recipients of Career Development Awards from Wellcome, Dr Tianyi Zhang and Dr Layara Abiko. The Wellcome Career Development Awards scheme provides funding for mid-career researchers who have the potential to be international research leaders.

Dr Tianyi Zhang, Birmingham Springboard Fellow in the Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, will use the award to establish an independent research group at the University of Birmingham.

Dr Zhang said: “I’m grateful to Wellcome for their continued support and trust. I’m also deeply thankful to my peers, mentors, the CMH Fellowship Academy, and the research strategy team, whose guidance and support have been invaluable in helping me take this step into independence.”

Dr Zhang will use the award funding to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which transcription factors (proteins that bind specific DNA sequences to regulate gene expression) and their interacting partner networks drive the normal development of B cells. B cells are a type of white blood cell responsible for producing antibodies that help the body fight infections. Dr Zhang’s research will also look into how these regulatory mechanisms are disrupted in blood cancers such as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and multiple myeloma.

This research programme will bring together leading expertise in genomics, advanced imaging, structural biology, and haematology-oncology through collaborations within the University of Birmingham, as well as the University of Leicester, Imperial College London, and the Royal Veterinary College.

Dr Zhang joined the University in 2025 as a Birmingham Springboard Fellow, following a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences. The Springboard Fellowship scheme supports high-calibre early career researchers to develop competitive research grant proposals, to establish their independent research programs in the College of Medicine and Health.

Dr Layara Abiko will use the funding from the award at the University of Birmingham to investigate biased signalling, where different ligands (molecules that bind to another specific molecule, delivering a signal in the process) can steer G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs) towards specific cellular responses.  

GPCRs regulate many essential physiological processes and are the targets of around one third of all marketed medicines. However, many GPCR-targeting drugs activate multiple signalling pathways at once, which can lead to unwanted side effects. Despite its therapeutic promise, the mechanisms underlying bias remains poorly understood. Understanding how these receptors selectively trigger different pathways could help scientists design more precise medicines.

Using advanced Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, alongside complementary biochemical and cellular assays, Dr Abiko’s research programme will examine how ligand binding reshapes GPCR structure and dynamics and how this influences different signalling partners inside the cell. The goal is to reveal how signalling specificity is encoded at the molecular level.

Dr Abiko said: “GPCRs are among the most important drug targets in medicine, yet we still do not fully understand how different drugs selectively control the signalling pathways they activate. This award will allow us to combine structural biology with biochemical and cellular approaches to uncover the mechanisms behind signalling bias. Ultimately, this knowledge could guide the design of more selective drugs with fewer side effects.

“The mentorship and guidance provided by the Fellowship Academy at CMH were instrumental in developing a successful application.”

Dr Zhang and Dr Abiko will receive their funding over a period of eight years.