Lauren Ford

Lauren is an Imperial College Research Fellow within the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction. 

Research

My research is based on developing innovative technology and tools to detect cancer at earlier stages when it is easier to treat. My research team integrates novel mass spectrometry techniques with materials chemistry for increased sensitivity of detection of disease. My main interests are investigating the metabolome of biofluids for indications of underlying pathologies and developing tools to ensure that this testing is available to population levels through high-throughput and cost effective methods.

Background

After graduating with a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Leeds, Lauren went on to study for a PhD with Dr. Richard Blackburn and Prof. Chris Rayner in graduating in 2017. Her PhD was based on developing analytical chemistry techniques for analysis of cultural heritage artefacts for conservation and restoration purposes. She then moved to Queen's University Belfast in 2017 to work on a cross discipline project aiming to investigate the uses of seaweed in animal feed. Her role was to work on the elucidation of natural products in seaweed for antimicrobial properties and their effect on digestion. In 2019 Lauren joined Imperial College London in the Department of Surgery and Cancer to work on the 'iEndoscope' project. Collecting real time mass spectrometry data directly from surgical excision, giving clinicians real time pathology information and improving safety in surgical procedure.

Presentation

Real-time metabolomics by ambient mass spectrometry – from point-of-care microbiome profiling to cancer diagnostics

Advances in ambient mass spectrometry has enabled rapid, precise and robust metabolic profiling in a number of clinical applications. The ability to directly sample from patients and novel source developments have enabled phenotypic profiling exploratory work in novel clinical applications including during surgery and point of care sample analysis. In this talk I will showcase research utilising these groundbreaking technologies for improving clinical care in women's health and cancer diagnostics.