Background
Current disease modelling and biological strategies for intervention are hampered by the lack of incisive molecular methodologies that define disease pathogenesis in vivo in situ in real human disease. Molecular Imaging/sensing is a rapidly evolving multidisciplinary field that has the potential to revolutionise the practice of medicine and redefine the discipline of pathology.
Research Overview
Our group is multidisciplinary (tht.ac.uk) and has broad themes:
1) Focused on discovering new methodologies that will permit the accurate and spatial characterisation of inflammation, infection, cancer and fibrosis in the distal human lung. We work alongside robotics, chemistry, physics, engineering, image analysis and informatics to develop interventional strategies.
2) Understanding the pulmonary response to acute infection and inflammation with a particular interest in monocyte/macrophage biology and neutrophil recruitment.
3) A focus on Experimental Medicine and early phase studies including intratarget microdosing.
Current research projects in the lab are focused upon:
a) Accelerating Phase 0 pulmonary microdosing with novel devices and therapeutic assets
b) Developing novel point of care tools for charactering pathobiology in the distal lung
c) Using UV light for precision antimicrobial therapy and tissue resection
d) Attenuating myeloid cell mediated tissue injury in pulmonary inflammation
e) Using human lung EVLP models to improve organ availability and organ reconditioning
The 'THT' brings together physicists, biologists, informaticians, image analysts, chemists and engineers, roboticists with the goal to develop a novel transformative devices/approaches for human health.
Biographical Profile
Professor Kev Dhaliwal graduated from the University of Edinburgh and completed general professional training in London before returning to Edinburgh to undertake a period of consolidated laboratory research in the Lung Inflammation Group. During his PhD he initiated strategic partnerships to develop and translate optical molecular imaging in pulmonary disease. Professor Dhaliwal completed specialist training in Respiratory Medicine. He leads a translational group working across multiple disciplines with a culture of “people and team first” placing values of friendship, respect and support at the heart of all interactions with collaborators and partners.
Other Responsibilities
- Active Clinician with a clinical subspecialty interest in Tuberculosis/pulmonary infection.
- Co-founder of Edinburgh Molecular Imaging
- Director of the THT
- Director of HTAF (https://www.ed.ac.uk/healthcare-technology-accelerator)
- Co-Director of the Baillie Gifford Pandemic Science Hub
Public Engagement
Primary School Outreach
Collaborators
- Adiso Therapeutics
- Aravind Eye Care System
- Dr Ahsan Akram
- Professor Kenneth Baillie
- Professor James Dear
- Dr Nik Hirani
- Dr James Hopgood
- Dr Mohsen Khadem
- Dr Beth Mills
- Professor Adriano Rossi
- Dr Sohan Seth
- Professor Manu Shankar-Hari
- Dr James Stone (University of Bath)
- Dr Mike Tanner (Heriot Watt University)
- Professor Robert Thomson (Heriot Watt University)
- Professor Marc Vendrell
- Professor Tim Walsh
- Dr Gareth Williams