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Biography
During my Chemistry degree at the University of Durham, I developed an interest in analytical chemistry and sought a job in that area after graduating. I worked as a lab technician for a year at a company in Derbyshire where I was trained to use chromatographic instruments (HPLC-UV, HPLC-MS, HPLC-MS-MS and GC-FID). I thoroughly enjoyed this work. To further my practical skills and knowledge I chose to undertake postgraduate research at the University of Nottingham on a Biotechnology project that involved a large proportion of analytical work and also appealed to my love of sustainable technology. Following this I took a sabbatical and then started work in the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham (School of Medicine) where I am using a mass spectrometer with very high resolving power and accurate mass measurement (an Orbitrap) in the School of Pharmacy to conduct untargeted and targeted metabolomics of childhood ependymoma patient samples in a variety of projects, also branching out into childhood hepatoblatoma samples (both are embryonal cancers). This work is really interesting and rewarding.
Expertise Summary
Analytical chemistry - specifically chromatography with mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy.
Metabolomics
Research Summary
2021-2026 Postdoctoral research project: Developing a biomarker for minimal residual disease in ependymoma.
- Use liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to describe the childhood ependymoma cerebrospinal fluid metabolome.
- Identify biomarkers of ependymoma by comparing to control cerebrospinal fluid samples.
- Identify which metabolic enzymes correlate to the abundant metabolites (and metabolic pathways) and detect these and the metabolites in ependymoma tissue.
Working with Dr Madhumita Dandapani in the School of Medicine. Funded by the Little Princess Trust, The CCLG and VIVO Biobank, and the MRC.
2025-2026 Postdoctoral research project: A Phase II multicentre trial for the use of 5-ALA in paediatric high grade brain tumours.
- Comparing fluorescent and non-fluorescent areas of tissue from a variety of children's brain tumours where the surgeon has used 5-ALA (the pink drink) to distinguish the tumour margin, using surface analysis mass spectrometry techniques.
- Identify differentially abundant metabolites between fluorescent and non-fluorescent areas, and between core and outer areas of the tumour which both fluoresce.
- Working with Clare Eynon to conduct this work together.
Working with Dr Madhumita Dandapani in the School of Medicine. Funded by The Little Princess Trust
Past Research
2023-2025 Postdoctoral research project: Investigating the metabolome of childhood hepatoblastoma.
- Uncovering differences in metabolism between hepatoblastoma (children's liver tumour) and paired normal liver tissue using liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Project 1 was a discovery cohort, and project 2 was a validation cohort.
Working with Dr Madhumita Dandapani in the School of Medicine. Project 2 funded by Fight Kids Cancer.
2017-2021 Postdoctoral research project: Disrupting cancer metabolism to improve therapy for childhood ependymoma.
- Use liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to describe intra-tumour heterogeneity in the childhood ependymoma metabolome.
- Identify which metabolic enzymes correlate to the abundant metabolites (and metabolic pathways).
Working with Dr Ruman Rahman in the School of Medicine. Funded by The Stoneygate Trust.
2012-2016 PhD thesis: The enzymatic depolymerisation of lignin model compounds. This involved incubating laccase with three lignin model oligomers for periods of up to 24 hours and analysing the product mixtures using HSQC (1H-13C) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).
Working with Prof Gill Stephens in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. Funded by the BBSRC.
Future Research
I am looking for potential future collaborators in plant metabolomics.