We drive impactful research and training that supports both local and global health challenges. With our state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative environment, we're supporting the full lifecycle from early diagnosis of diseases to the sustainable manufacture of life-saving treatments.
We are advancing research and innovation in translational healthcare and biosciences working with our local and global partners to detect diseases earlier and deliver the medicines of tomorrow.
In partnership with industry and academia, the NHC proactively identifies sector challenges, pioneers novel solutions, and drives impactful innovation to improve lives.
We are proud to be part of the dynamic and innovative Teesside University network. Our commitment to advancing health and life sciences research aligns with the university's broader vision of creating impactful solutions that address real-world challenges.
Discover how our research strategy supports these initiatives and the wider goals of Teesside University by reading the full university research strategy.
Vikki is responsible for leading the NHC's development as a centre of excellence for the biosciences and healthcare sectors, working in partnership with industry, the NHS and other stakeholders to ensure that provision is driven by current and planned needs for research, innovation, skills and talent.
Safwan is responsible for the NHC's enterprise and business engagement activities, linking academics with external organisations. Safwan's current research is working towards the development of low-cost diagnostics for point of care, working in collaboration with local pharmaceutical companies to bring down the cost of biopharmaceuticals.
John is tackling prevalent and impactful diseases of the urinary tract - creating new devices that enable early diagnosis, discovering new drug targets and developing educational resources for patients, carers and healthcare professionals. Outside of urology, he is involved in biomarker discovery, development, evaluation and implementation projects with healthcare, biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.
Linda's research focuses on the pre-clinical development of gene therapies for rare diseases, in particular those affecting the neuromuscular system, including the muscular dystrophies and the childhood cancer neurofibromatosis type 1. The technologies being used include vector-mediated gene addition, endonuclease-mediated gene editing, antisense oligonucleotide (AO)-induced exon skipping and gene silencing.
Grant's research centres on remote patient monitoring for gait and balance, as well as self-management approaches for gait rehabilitation. With expertise in human movement science and injury prevention, Grant spent seven years in the consumer electronics industry developing wearable technology products for sports and health, where he led the research and testing programmes.
Claudio works at the intersection of AI and biology, with the goal of designing and implementing AI methods that can integrate data across molecular levels and include mechanistic biological information. Claudio’s current research combines data-driven, model-driven and knowledge-driven AI methods for various health and biotechnology applications.
Sweta is a cancer biologist, and her research focuses on understanding tumour heterogeneity and developing novel targeted treatments for therapy resistant cancers, integrating molecular and cell biology approaches with high-throughput next generation sequencing data. She works in close partnership with academic, industrial and clinical collaborators.
As Chief Industry Advisor, Steve helps the National Horizons Centre keep abreast of latest developments in the life sciences field, ensuring its training and research meet the needs of business. Steve is the Manufacturing Lead on the UK Vaccines Taskforce and a former chief executive of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. In January 2021, he was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his services to the UK Manufacturing and Biotechnology Sector.
Dann is responsible for the day-to-day running of the NHC, ensuring it's smooth operation. Dann is from a technical, person and facilities management background with a focus on practical skills development and innovation in the sporting environment.
Ben supports a number of essential functions in research, teaching, and continuous professional development. His position combines both technical and scientific aspects of lab work, ensuring the efficient operation of our lab activities and contributing to the achievement of our research objectives.
Sean supports a range of key functions in research, teaching, and continuous professional development. His job blends technical and scientific aspects of lab work to ensure the smooth operation of our lab activities and the research goals.
Annalisa specialises in AI-driven biological research, integrating metabolic modelling and multi-modal deep learning for cancer applications. Beyond biomedical applications, Annalisa leads several projects optimising bioprocessing and manufacturing through AI-driven insights.
Peixun's research interests include next-generation sequencing analysis of aggressive cancers and the application of cutting-edge lab techniques (such as CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing) to understand the biology of cancer and response to therapy.
Nicole has expertise across biomedicine and experience of working in and with industry and academia. Her research interests are in in vitro modelling of healthy and diseased human tissues to reduce the use of animals in research. Specific areas of expertise includes 3D cell culture and in vitro assay optimisation, as well as histological and molecular biology-based analysis.
Stacy brings a wealth of industrial experience to the training team. He has worked in the pharmaceutical industry at GSK and FUJIFILM Diosynth for over 25 years. Roles include stability testing, packaging technologist, New Product Introduction and within audit management as an auditor for supplier and laboratory assurance.
Vanessa provides professional support to the Director of the National Horizons Centre (NHC) and assists the Operations and Facilities Manager with day-to-day NHC operations and facilities tasks. With over 20 years of experience in the education sector, Vanessa is a highly skilled manager and administrator.
Tracey provides key administrative support at the National Horizons Centre, greeting visitors at Reception with a warm welcome. With a wealth of experience in customer service, she plays a vital role in supporting our skills training team and acts as a primary point of contact for business partners and other stakeholders of the NHC.
Looking for support with innovation, training, or facilities hire? We're here to help your business reach new horizons. From cutting-edge research to bespoke training and state-of-the-art facilities, we offer a range of solutions tailored to your needs. Get in touch today to explore how we can work together to achieve your goals.
