LabMed funds the future: Research and Innovation Grant

Emma Miler

Emma Miler has been granted £8000 to investigate predictions for poor outcomes in vascular surgery

Emma is principal clinical biochemist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), where she supports the endocrinology section as well as the maternal serum screening service.

She developed an interest in clinical research while working as an associate practitioner in biochemistry at Southend University Hospital before joining the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) at NNUH in 2017. During her training, her research focused on improving outcomes in major vascular surgery using biomarkers to better predict post-surgical complications. Her project assessed the predictive value of these biomarkers to inform clinical decision-making and improve patient care.

With support from the Research and Innovation Grant, Emma will expand this research in a larger patient cohort as part of the Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) programme. She is passionate about bridging laboratory medicine and clinical practice to drive innovation in patient care and aims to advance the use of biomarkers for personalised medicine and improved risk management.

Lindsay Graham

Lindsay Graham, a PhD graduate in neuroscience, has been granted £4297, to conduct her research.

Her project will focus on phosphatidylethanol (PEth), a long-term biomarker of alcohol intake. Working closely with the hepatology team, she plans to develop a mass spectrometry assay for PEth measurement in order to assess correlation with disease classification in patients with liver disease.

Lindsay spent seven years at Axis-Shield Diagnostics, developing immunoassays for automated analysers. In 2018, she retrained as a clinical scientist in biochemistry with the NHS and qualified in 2021.

She now works at NHS Tayside Blood Sciences. Alongside routine reporting duties, Lindsay specialises in mass spectrometry and drugs of abuse. Going forward, she hopes to further develop her skills in mass spectrometry method development and participate in clinical research, with the grant serving as a stepping stone towards this goal.

Adam Pattinson

With interest in kidney transplant risk assessment, Adam Pattinson has been granted £7,450 to achieve his goals.

Adam is in his final year of STP, specialising in microbiology. As a trainee clinical scientist, he is committed to bridging the gaps between patients and the laboratory by providing clinical advice and implementing new tests. Prior to this, Adam accomplished a PhD at the University of East Anglia.

His research focuses on individuals with weakened immune systems, particularly transplant recipients who take immunosuppressive drugs to prevent organ rejection. These patients are at increased risk of new infection, yet there is currently no effective way to measure functional immunity in clinic.

With support from the Research and Innovation Grant, Adam will conduct a comparative proteomic study to identify biomarkers in plasma, helping to predict an individual’s functional immunity. His research aims to help clinicians assess immune function and tailor immunosuppressive therapy to balance the risk of rejection and infection.

Once his training concludes in August 2025, he hopes the findings from this project will serve as a foundation for a larger fellowship grant to further explore multi-omic testing to refine patient risk stratification and treatment monitoring.