Thomas Colley Email & Phone Number

London, United Kingdom

Secondment to investigate the mechanism of action of Pulmocide compounds in vivo, ex vivo, in vitro, and to determine host-pathogen interactions contributing to airway remodelling. - Determine the mechanism of action of Pulmocide compounds using primary human patient samples and cutting-edge ex vivo precision cut live lung slice imaging technology in mice.- Focus on the interaction between Aspergillus and the alveolar macrophage during treatment with Pulmocide compounds- Perform in vivo studies on Aspergillus infected mice to determine the immunomodulatory impact of Pulmocide compounds on Aspergillus clearance from the lung.- Design of CRISPR strategies for gene editing in Aspergillus species- Explore microbial infection models to determine altered regulation of pathways involved in airway remodelling and fibrosis of the lung.- Utilising monolayer and 3D co-culture models (bronchospheres) to observe pro-fibrotic signalling events mediated by Aspergillus and Candida infection- In vivo studies in mice using chronic pathogen exposure models to investigate fibrosis and determine potential therapeutic strategies- Immunocytochemistry of lung tissue from chronic lung disease models to measure infection associated fibrotic events

London

As a Senior Research Scientist I oversaw the day-to-day running of the laboratory. In addition, I managed the team for the antifungal drug discovery project. I was also the Biosafety Officer.I transferred from previous employment with senior management to assist the set-up of laboratory facilities for Pulmocide Ltd, a biotechnology start-up focused on developing inhaled therapeutics for infectious respiratory diseases.- Senior scientist on Pulmocide’s antifungal project with responsibility for co-ordinating with medicinal chemists and managing team members:- Developed a comprehensive package of pathogen and host (human) cell plate-based screening assays for drug discovery- Responsible for supervising postdoctoral and graduate level employees in their day-to-day work and for QC of their outputs- Implemented complex and innovative primary cell 3D transwell culture techniques to monitor bronchial epithelial penetration by fungal pathogens- Point of contact for academic collaborators and CROs- Presented project data to colleagues and key opinion leaders at regular intervals- Designed biomarker screens for Phase I & II clinical trials

London

Oversaw the projects of two members of Professor Peter Barnes’ group at Imperial College, investigating the mechanisms by which SIRT1 expression is regulated by micro RNAs, and elucidating the role of impaired autophagy in COPD.- Supervised Dr Jonathan Baker, a recent PhD graduate, throughout his project investigating the regulation of SIRT1 by miRNA in epithelial cells and its impact in COPD pathogenesis.- Supervised Dr Yuta Kono, a visiting Japanese doctor, throughout his project investigating the role of galectin-8 in CSE-mediated defective autophagic bacterial clearance and inflammation.- Prepared abstracts for presentation orally at the ERS 2016.- Edited articles published in peer-reviewed journals (Scientific Reports, 2016; FASEB, 2018).

London

- investigated the mechanism of action of the company’s lead compounds for patients with COPD and asthma- appointed leader of a small sub-team in 2012, tasked with developing PI3 kinase inhibitors- designed new assays for differentiating compound activity against Class I PI3K isoforms- developed in-house assays for toxicology screening including FACS-based techniques- trained and managed junior members of staff

London

- routinely detected minimal residual disease markers in patients with leukaemia- trained in basic laboratory skills including the preparation of buffers and isolation of cells from peripheral blood samples- learnt key molecular techniques e.g. DNA/RNA isolation, qPCR, DNA sequencing- undertook a research project within the department, linked to my MSc, which developed a new SNP-based qPCR technique for assessment of patient chimerism after bone marrow engraftment.

Doctor Of Philosophy (Phd), The Role Of Sirtuins In The Pathogenesis Of Severe Asthma

Master Of Science (Msc), Applied Biology

Distinction (Part-time evening course)

Bachelor'S Degree, Biochemistry And Molecular Biology