Dr William Humphries

I am an experienced educator, holding both a PGCE in secondary education, and a PGCertHE, which is specific to higher education. I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the Royal Society of Biology and a Chartered Biologist.

In terms of research, I have worked with plant (A. thaliana), animal (L. stagnalis) yeast (P. pastoris) and bacterial (E. coli) model organisms. I also have experience working with human cells in culture. My goal is to grow a research group, and this could be within the fields of anti-cancer drug discovery or novel medical diagnostics.

Email: [email protected]

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Background

I have worked in both academia and industry. Following my undergraduate degree, I gained my masters by research and dissertation (MRes) from Kingston University studying the biochemical nature of how schistosomes can infect snails as an intermediate host. I then worked for a company (Spirogen Limited, now a member of the AstraZeneca Group) testing their pyrrolobenzodiazepine based anti-cancer compounds on a large variety of human cell lines. Following this, I gained my doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Kent. I was part of an academic/industrial team that devised a novel anti-cancer treatment that is continuing to be developed. I ended up working for the company that sponsored my doctoral studies (Mologic Limited, now known as Global Access Diagnostics). My time working as a contract research scientist allowed me to work with novel technologies and ideas. I have gained experience with several techniques used in life sciences. I then decided to teach, gaining a PGCE and teaching all secondary sciences including A level chemistry, before returning to higher education at ARU Peterborough as a senior lecturer and course director.

I have experience with the following techniques: SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, interferometry, Immunofluorescent antibody labelling of proteins, ELISA, column purification of antibodies. Flow cytometry, PCR, real time-PCR, in situ hybridization, cloning. Confocal, light microscopy- Bright-field, dark field, fluorescent, phase contrast and polarizing. Electrochemistry, micro-fluidics, point of care (PoC) devices.

I am Experienced in culturing bacteria and yeast to express genes/proteins of interest. Maintenance of multiple cell lines, development of resistant cell lines, cell proliferation assays. Histological methods. Experienced with chromatography systems such as AKTA and the BioRad NGC.

Research interests

• Cell and molecular biology
• Biochemistry
• Human biology
• Protein expression
• Antibody development
• Medical point of care devices

Teaching

• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences

Qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Biology, Kingston University
• MRes, Biochemistry, Kingston University
• PhD, Biochemistry, University of Kent
• PGCE, secondary sciences, Edgehill University
• PGCertHE, Higher Education, Anglia Ruskin University

Selected recent publications

Saurabh Jain, Luca Aresu, Stefano Comazzi, Jianguo Shi, Erin Worrall, John Clayton, William Humphries, Sandra Hemmington, Paul Davis, Euan Murray, Asmare A. Limeneh, Kathryn Ball, Eva Ruckova, Petr Muller, Borek Vojtesek, Robin Fahraeus, David Argyle, Ted R. Hupp. 2016. “The Development of a Recombinant scFv Monoclonal Antibody Targeting Canine CD20 for Use in Comparative Medicine”. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0148366. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0148366

Walker, A.J., Plows, L.D., Humphries, W.A., Cook, R.T., Davies, A.J. (2003) Dissecting the molecular basis of molluscan immunity: the effect of immune challenge on MAPK and PKC signalling in Lymnaea stagnalis haemocytes. BCPC Proceedings 80, Slugs and Snails: Agricultural, Veterinary & Environmental Perspectives 63-68.