Simon Plummer Email & Phone Number

MicroMatrices Associates offer:• SpheroMatrices, a proprietary spheroid tissue microarray technology for de-risking drug safety/efficacy studies. Addressing translatability issues in preclinical drug testing via new analytical processes for profiling 3D organotypic models: spheroids, organoids, PDX 3D models.• Specialist Investigative Toxicology services for risk assessment. Elucidating toxicological/therapeutic mechanisms through the application of integrated genomic/epigenomic/proteomic profiling (mRNA, miRNA, ChIP on chip, LC MS/MS) and pathways analysis. Toxicological/pharmacological mechanisms are very often cell type specific. MicroMatrices specialises in high resolution cell type-specific analyses to characterise the toxicological response in different cell types in the tissue; please see our website (www.micromatrices.com) for details/case studies.This approach can facilitate the design of better in vitro models for assessing the relevance/ translatability of mechanisms identified in animal models to man.With deep roots in research, we can offer clients a collaborative approach to project development, starting with small pilot projects that can lead to larger scope projects.With a highly skilled scientific core networked to facilities of excellence across the UK, MicroMatrices is scalable, efficient and flexible.

Set up laboratory of Microarray and Bioinformatics in CXR Biosciences.Research based contract studies for pharmaceutical, biotech, chemical industry and academic clients.Agilent Microarray Service Provider for UK.Application of transcription profiling for drug development and investigative toxicology. Pre-clinical developmental studies of novel anti-cancer, anti-viral and contrast agents. Risk assessment of plasticisers and surfactants for chemical industry. MRC toxicology Unit/ Leicester University:Research project: "Inhibitory effects of curcumin and its analogues/metabolites on COX-2 expression and NF-kB signalling".Our findings with regard to in vitro anti-cancer effects of curcumin in this cellular model were followed up by testing the efficacy of curcumin in an in vivo nude mouse xenograft model and establishing a modified ex vivo assay for COX-2 induction in human blood. The latter assay provided a means to develop insights as to the mechanisms of curcumins efficacy against colon cancer in a clinical trial. Research project: "Expression of novel steroid receptors in mouse development"Successfully completed study on PPAR expression in mouse embryogenesis.

At CXR I developed novel methods for microarray analysis of tissues derived from in vivo toxicological studies. I pioneered the use of laser microdissection-targetted microarray analysis to derive cell type-specific insights into mechanisms of toxicity. This involved applying pathways-based approaches for hypothesis generation integrated with conventional toxicology end-points in novel animal models. The approach was also applied in the context of preclinical and clinical studies for safety assessment and biomarker candidate identification.

Mrc Toxicology Unit, Leicester

"Effects on anti-tumour drugs on oncogene expression"Determined a strategy for and successfully carried out a study of a series of anthracyclines on the transcription of oncogenes and housekeeping genes in lymphoblastoid cell lines.

"Genotoxicity and mutation analysis of fecapentaenes in human cells"Pioneered studies of the genotoxicity of fecapentaenes in colon cells and fibroblasts.Successful collaboration with investigators at Microbiological Associates, Bethesda.

" Metabolic activation of aflatoxin in animals and man"Studies of the role of debrisoquine-4-hydroxylase in the activation of aflatoxin B1 to mutagenic and genotoxic intermediates.

Phd, Biochemical Pharmacology

Activities and Societies: BTS, BACR, AACR

Bsc Hons, Pharmacology

Activities and Societies: British Pharmacology Society Dundee Uni Tennis Club