Kim Luetchford Email & Phone Number

Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Cardiff, United Kingdom

Cellesce Ltd is a micro-SME bioprocess engineering company based in Cardiff, built on expertise around bioreactor design for large scale 3D cell expansion for drug discovery applications.My work at Cellesce has involved the optimisation of large scale expansion of organoids using bioreactor technology. Working alongside bioprocessing and organoid biology experts, I have used my knowledge of bioreactor design and biomaterials to develop and improve bioreactor culture… Show more Cellesce Ltd is a micro-SME bioprocess engineering company based in Cardiff, built on expertise around bioreactor design for large scale 3D cell expansion for drug discovery applications.My work at Cellesce has involved the optimisation of large scale expansion of organoids using bioreactor technology. Working alongside bioprocessing and organoid biology experts, I have used my knowledge of bioreactor design and biomaterials to develop and improve bioreactor culture conditions.My role also includes the culture of organoids and use of the optimised system to manufacture large batches of organoids for customers, and performing drug screening assays to ensure the quality and consistency of the end product.I also act as the R&D contact for collaborations with academic or commercial organisations, planning and undertaking research projects to further progress Cellesce's organoid expansion technology.I am part of the team responsible for the day-to-day running of the Cellesce lab and office, and for the supervision of PhD and industrial placement students. Show less

Bath, United Kingdom

During this period I worked on a range of bioreactor-based projects for applications including T-cell expansion and bioartificial liver modelling. The associated analysis of these projects included PCR, cell number and protein quantification, viability assays, immunofluorescent staining, HPLC, luciferase assays, and ELISAs, as well as the culture of immortalised and primary cell types, bioreactor optimisation and material processing.I regularly presented data to a… Show more During this period I worked on a range of bioreactor-based projects for applications including T-cell expansion and bioartificial liver modelling. The associated analysis of these projects included PCR, cell number and protein quantification, viability assays, immunofluorescent staining, HPLC, luciferase assays, and ELISAs, as well as the culture of immortalised and primary cell types, bioreactor optimisation and material processing.I regularly presented data to a cross-university/industry research consortium and external conferences. These roles also included the supervision of undergraduate students and administrative tasks related to maintaining labs. Show less

I researched the use of naturally-derived materials as microcarrier scaffolds for the osteodifferentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.Key skills I used during this period included aseptic cell culture, the harvest, culture and differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, FACS, ELISA, in-cell western assays, SEM, fluorescent and confocal microscopy, standard assays for protein and DNA concentration, cell proliferation assays and histology techniques. I designed and made… Show more I researched the use of naturally-derived materials as microcarrier scaffolds for the osteodifferentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.Key skills I used during this period included aseptic cell culture, the harvest, culture and differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, FACS, ELISA, in-cell western assays, SEM, fluorescent and confocal microscopy, standard assays for protein and DNA concentration, cell proliferation assays and histology techniques. I designed and made various custom devices, for example for the production of microparticles using microfluidic flow focussing as well as a prototype bioreactor. I delivered presentations on my work at departmental and open meetings and regularly attended conferences to present data in poster form.Funded by the Medical Research Council. Show less

Within the Transporter group of the Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism department, I investigated drug uptake in cell-based assays as a model of intestinal drug absorption, using mass spectrometry analysis. Key skills: aseptic cell culture, drug uptake assays, PCR, mass spectrometry, transfection of mammalian cell lines and assay development.