Diagnostics

Our diagnostics research

Our diagnostics cross-cutting research theme brings together laboratory scientists, clinicians and technical, statistical, bioinformatics and database expertise to:

• deliver diagnostics related research, including novel in vitro assays, clinical screening, biosensors, biomarker discovery and patient assessment / stratification methods and;
• facilitate the development of our wider biomedical, clinical, and environmental and public health research and innovation activities including brain tumours, antibiotic resistance and hepatology.

Technologies and methods utilised include genomics, proteomics, next generation sequencing (NGS), mass spectrometry, medical imaging (CT), graphene biosensors, database development, management, analysis and integration and statistical analysis.

Our research and expertise

The cross-cutting diagnostics theme encompasses:

• Blood diagnostics (Professor Neil Avent, Dr Tracey Madgett) – genotyping of transfusion blood supplies and Down’s syndrome biomarkers for non-invasive prenatal testing.
• Radiology / Cardiac CT (Dr Carl Roobottom) – development and clinical application of Cardiac Computed Tomography and other imaging technologies.
• Bioinformatics (Professor Matthias Futschik) – molecular networks in human health and disease, systems biology of stem cells, gene regulation in cyanobacteria, development of databases and software tools.
• Medical statistics (Siobhan Creanor) – statistical support and analysis across a wide range of biomedical and clinical research areas, trials and services.

• Nanotechnology and biosensor diagnostics (Professor Genhua Pan) – graphene based biosensors as diagnostics in medicine and healthcare, including cancer and dementia.
  
• Genomics and Genetics Group (Professor Matthias Futschik, Dr Mat Upton, Dr Xinzhong Li, Dr Tracey Madgett, Dr Elaine Green, Dr Robert Belshaw) – epigenomics, gene regulatory networks, molecular biomarker discovery, molecular diagnostics, genome-wide variation detection, microbial genomics, genome sequence analysis, transcriptomics
  
• Proteomics Research Group (Dr Edwin Lasonder, Dr Ansgar Poetsch, Dr Vikram Sharma) – application of advanced proteomic technologies to study human diseases, biomarker diagnostics, disease mechanisms, malaria biology, membrane proteome dynamics, epigenetic modifications in cancer.
• Plymouth University Systems Biology Centre (Dr Tracey Madgett) – genomic and proteomic analysis facilities and expertise providing a comprehensive service to support delivery of research for University and commercial partners.