Yanzhi Guo

Community Bursary Award Holder

DPhil in Clinical Medicine (2024)

I am a DPhil student in Clinical Medicine at the University of Oxford and St Cross College. My research focuses on targeted protein degradation and the development of novel therapeutic strategies for RNA-binding proteins. I am deeply grateful to Mr David Scrymgeour and Career Essentials Inc. for their generous support through the St Cross Community Bursary. 

Alongside my doctoral work at the Centre for Medicines Discovery, I am also a co-founder and principal scientist at PAW Therapeutics, an AI-driven cross-species longevity drug discovery platform. In this role, I lead a seven-member research and development team working across drug discovery and preventive health innovation.

Over the past year, I have helped foster academic and industry collaborations, advanced multiple development pipelines, and contributed to the company’s growth, including the successful completion of both angel and pre-Series A fundraising rounds. Through this work, I have strengthened my commitment to translating rigorous scientific research into responsible biomedical innovation.

This bursary is especially meaningful to me because it supports not only my academic development, but also the broader development that sits alongside my DPhil, including conference participation, partnership building, and the responsible translation of research into real-world benefit.