Research

“The development of dual-modal probes for cancer imaging”
Apoptosis is the most common form of programmed cell death. As such, it acts as a key mechanism in many pathological diseases. We are working to develop dual-modal lipophilic cations to target the mitochondria, and improve the diagnosis of a number of diseases, including cancer. Additionally we are developing activatable imaging probes for the selective detection of metal ions and disease relevant enzymes.

The project encompasses a wider collaboration between other research groups at Imperial College London, Hong Kong University and Peeking University, Beijing.

Personal

I completed my PhD at Durham University in late 2017 under the supervision of Prof. David Parker and Prof. J. A. Gareth Williams. Outside the lab, I enjoy playing and watching sport, especially the 2015/16 Premier League Champions Leicester City FC!

Research

"The Development of a Fluorescent Reporter Probe for Enzyme-Activity of Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1)"
Heme oxygenase (HO) is an important homeostatic enzyme in vascular biology and cell signalling. The isoform HO-1 is by far the most studied, playing a significant role in the prevention of disease due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic properties.

In collaboration with Dr Joe Boyle (National Heart and Lung Institute, Hammersmith hospital) we are working to develop and synthesise a series of new FRET-based reporter probes for HO-1.

Personal

Research

“Development of macrocyclic chelates for rare earth metal complexation, and applications in diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear imaging”
Nuclear medicine exploits radioactive isotopes of a wide range of elements for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. A large portion of these are metals. To utilise metal-based radioisotopes, radiometals, in nuclear medicine, a chelator must form thermodynamically and kinetically stable metal complexes. A plethora of chelators exist for small radiometal complexation, but sufficient chelators for large radiometals are much less common. We are working to develop a series of macrocyclic chelators to form thermodynamically and kinetically stable complexes, including the incorporation of bioconjugate groups to successful target a range of diseases.

The project encompasses a wider collaboration between other research groups at Imperial College London, King’s College London, and Southampton University through the MITHRAS programme.

Research

“Development of Organometallic-Functionalised Perovskite Solar Cells”

Metal-halide perovskite solar cells have emerged as an innovative photovoltaic technology due to their extraordinary optoelectronic properties, low cost and solution processability. However, their efficiencies and operational lifetimes often lag behind commercial silicon-based solar cells. Organometallic functionalisation of perovskite solar cells has recently been shown to provide excellent, and promising, efficiencies and stability to compete with these commercial devices (Science, 2022, 376, 416).

In collaboration with research groups across Imperial and City University, Hong Kong, we aim to synthesise and evaluate a range of novel organometallic compounds to drive the development and translation of organometallic-based perovskite solar cell devices.

Personal

I graduated from The University of Auckland, New Zealand in March 2023 with a PhD in Chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Christian Hartinger and Prof. James Wright. During my PhD we investigated stimulus-responsive heterobimetallic supramolecular architectures as model systems for anticancer drug delivery. In my spare time I enjoy travelling, exercising, watching rugby and going to live gigs.

Research

"Smart Manganese-based Dual-modal PET-MRI Probes"

The combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – with its excellent spatial, sub-millimetre resolution – and positron emission tomography (PET) – with its exceptionally high sensitivity – would be able to provide greater clinical functionality through ‘PET-guided’ high resolution MRI. The challenge in creating a bimodal PET/MRI agent comes from the sensitivity difference in these techniques. Manganese based contrast agents (MnBCA) can overcome these issues by mixing nanomolar amounts of radionuclide with ⁵⁵Mn in complexation, thus creating a chemically identical PET and MRI probe, ensuring identical biodistribution and pharmacokinetic behaviour.

Personal

Big fan of cinema (mainly animation), so chat to me about anything from Studio Ghibli to John Wick. Apart from that, love to travel around London to find the best places to eat - open to any suggestions!

Research

"Development of Targeted, Dual-modal PET/Ultrasound Microbubbles for Cancer Imaging"

Microbubbles are used to enhance contrast in ultrasound imaging. These have similar sizes to red blood cells, and remain in our vasculature. At present, the inability to monitor the in vivo whole-body distribution of microbubbles could hamper the development of new formulations.
In collaboration with Prof. Eric Aboagye (Department of Surgery and Cancer), we are aiming to develop cancer-targeted microbubbles, and methods to efficiently radiolabel them to monitor their biodistribution.

Research

"Development of Novel Bifunctional Chelates for the Creation of Site-Specifically Modified Radioimmunoconjugates"
ImmunoPET combines the extraordinary specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the superior sensitivity of positron emission tomography, offering a non-invasive solution to assess target receptors’ expression and distribution in vivo. However, conventional strategies for antibody-radionuclide conjugation such as lysine- and cysteine-based conjugations generate heterogenous mixtures of antibody-conjugates which can exhibit suboptimal pharmacokinetics and decreased affinity for target receptors. This project therefore seeks to circumvent these issues by developing novel bifunctional chelates targeting low abundance canonical amino acids for radiolabelling with ⁸⁹Zr and ⁶⁸Ga, with the aim of their translation into facile formulations for site-specific radiolabelling of antibodies and their derivatives.

Research

"Dual-Modal Probes for Imaging the Brain and Alzheimer’s Disease"

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting over 5 million people worldwide. It causes progressive and irreversible cognitive decline and eventually results in death. Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by three key biomarkers: amyloid-beta plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. Amyloid-beta plaques have been extensively imaged for the past two decades, but recent evidence suggests that it is actually the soluble amyloid-beta oligomers that are the neurotoxic species. The development of a molecular imaging probe that targets these oligomers specifically would allow an earlier diagnosis as well as potential new therapeutics and drugs to fight the disease.

The brain has been imaged over the past two decades using a variety of molecular imaging modalities, including PET, MRI, and optical imaging. PET has been the workhorse for this imaging due to its superior sensitivity and ability to often penetrate the blood-brain-barrier with small-molecule radiotracers. However, the focus is now moving onto MRI probes - which have superior spatial resolution, and optical probes - which are often cheaper and require low-cost detectors and machinery. Only a select few optical imaging probes have been developed for targeting the soluble amyloid-beta oligomers, and these probes could still be improved in terms of their binding ability and emission wavelengths. My work will aim to develop novel dual-modal optical/MRI probes for imaging soluble amyloid-beta oligomers, and more generally multi-modality probes for brain imaging and neuroinflammation.

Research

"An acoustic wavelet technology for delivering smart imaging probes to the brain"

Molecular imaging probes have the potential to transform neuroimaging. Whereas CT and conventional MRI provide structural and anatomic information of the brain, molecular probes can identify processes that are specific to a disease and its stage. This could allow doctors to classify the disease earlier and more accurately, and match it with the best therapeutic option (i.e., personalised medicine). Some important unmet needs include locating hidden cancer cells after surgical removal of a glioblastoma tumour; and identifying Alzheimer’s disease early so that the correct treatments can be initiated.

Research

"Development of novel photo-switchable catalysts for highly selective ring-opening polymerization"

Biopolymers synthesised through ring-opening polymerization show great potential as alternatives to commodity polyolefins. Yet, it is often synthetically challenging to control their microstructure and henceforth their material properties. Catalysts that can switch between different states to selectively control the mode of polymerization offer an exciting new pathway to fine control of polymer microstructure. In my project, I aim to design a new range of photo-switchable catalysts for ring-opening polymerization that can be switched in situ between two different initiating states and generate biopolymers with variable microstructure and crystallinity. 

Personal

I graduated with an MChem in chemistry in summer 2021 from the University of Edinburgh. I completed my master’s research project in the group of Dr Jenni Garden working on the synthesis of poly(lactic acid) and poly(caprolactone) block copolymers using a bis-zinc ProPhenol catalyst. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking, practising yoga, exploring new places to eat in London and hiking when I can escape the city. 

Research

“Heme Oxygenase-1 Targeted Probes for Diagnostic, Theranostic and Therapeutic Applications”
Heme oxygenase (HO) is an important homeostatic microsomal enzyme that regulates the concentration of cytotoxic ‘free’ heme. The isoform HO-1 is by far the most studied and its overexpression is associated with a number of diseases including atherosclerosis and cancer. Therefore, this project aims to synthesise a series of FRET-based reporter probes for HO-1 activity and develop anticancer compounds that utilise HO-1 inhibition.

Personal

I graduated from Imperial in 2022 with an MSci in Chemistry. My final year project, which was carried out under the supervision of Prof. Nick Long, aimed at developing novel PDT agents by combining photosensitisers with an HO-1 inhibitor. In my free time I like to travel around the UK. I also “enjoy” riding my Brompton up steep hills and dream of owning an electric bike.