Storay attended the University College of London (UCL) to Study Master of Pharmacy and graduated in 2021 with First Class Honors. A four-year integrated master degree with a detailed focus on all parts of medication, from chemistry to body therapeutics, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and more.
Masters Research Project was completed in 2021 on the topic of ‘Design and formulation of a novel COVID-19 vaccine’. This required detailed knowledge of current COVID-19 vaccines, SARS-COV-2 virus, immunology and previous coronaviruses to design a novel vaccine formulation that highlighted gaps in the current research of COVID-19 vaccines. One of the main findings was the need for nucleocapsid protein as an antigen in addition to the spike protein due to the high frequency of mutations in the spike protein. Another significant highlight of the research is the proposed design and formulation of an intranasal vaccine to be delivered as a cationic liposome. Intranasal delivery is the future of vaccines due to the high acceptability and compliance amongst patients. It also allows for the possibility of self-administration, which could be crucial in a pandemic where the distribution and access to healthcare services are severely limited.
After Graduating from MPharm in 2021, she started working as a Pre-registration Pharmacist at an NHS hospital in London and is currently working there full time. This involves working competently under the pressures and demands of an NHS hospital to ensure patient safety with the medication choice and communicating with patients and multidisciplinary staff to solve patient or pharmaceutical care issues.
Alongside the full-time job, Storay is also studying part-time to complete a Postgraduate Research Certificate on Cancer Immunology that focuses on new research developments taking place in cancer therapy specifically in regards to biotechnology and gene therapy. Immunology is a topic that became of more interest after completing her master’s degree in vaccine and immunology. The role of the immune system is diverse and vital; it is a great weapon and understanding that and utilising it is crucial. The immune system plays many different roles within the body from protection against pathogens and fighting cancerous cells to causing autoimmune diseases or inflammation.
Other interests include learning programming languages such as R and Python from online courses. Storay believes that with the increased integration of technology in all aspects of life, programming languages are not only fascinating but an advantageous skill to have.
Storay started writing for AZoNetwork to indulge in her passion for writing and interest in scientific developments occurring in various fields such as immunology, cancer therapy, pharmaceutics, and drug development.