51±¾É«

Course: Bachelor of Science in Bioscience

Supervisor: Dr. James Brown

Project Title: Computational analysis of tumour biopsy slides using the QuPath digital pathology programme.

'As someone with an interest in pursuing a career in research, I felt that a summer research placement would be an ideal way to experience this career path. I applied for, and was delighted to receive, one of the 51±¾É« Science and Engineering Summer Research Scholarships for 2022. This allowed me to undertake a ten-week research project with Dr. James Brown during the summer break.  

My project has focussed on a protein called Tip60, which has an essential role in the repair of damaged DNA. Previous studies have observed reduced Tip60 protein levels in several cancer patient samples across various cancer types. In the course of my research, I used the QuPath digital pathology software to quantify Tip60 levels in breast cancer biopsy slides. This allowed me to determine whether Tip60 biopsy levels could be correlated with patient clinicopathological features such as subtype and survival. This form of quantitative biopsy analysis may be used to stratify patient groups into more clinically relevant cohorts in the future.  

Overall, I had an incredibly positive experience during my research placement this summer and the technical, computational, and transferable skills I have developed will be of great use to me in the future. I would like to thank the Faculty of Science and Engineering and my supervisor Dr. James Brown for giving me this opportunity.'