Laura is PHG Foundation’s Head of Science, and is responsible for the delivery of the scientific expertise and analysis that underpin our work. She also contributes to the development of our strategic partnerships with other organisations who have an interest in science and health policy. Current projects include exploring the opportunities and challenges highlighted in our 2018 report ‘The personalised medicine technology landscape’ with a range of stakeholders, contributing to the Foundation’s work on clinical applications of genome editing and working with key contacts to understand the key implementation challenges influencing the use of circulating tumour DNA technologies and developing policies to mitigate these.
Laura has a background in Zoology and extensive science writing and communication experience from previous roles including at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. An interest in the challenges involved in translating research into the clinic led Laura to her role at PHG Foundation. Before becoming Head of Science Laura contributed her expertise in explaining complex scientific concepts and policy implications to projects on emerging technologies and assists with our public affairs work.
- Somatic genome editing: promise and practicalities
- Citizen generated data – an opportunity for public health?
- Somatic genome editing: an overview
- Citizen generated data: the ethics of remote patient monitoring
- RNA vaccines: an introduction
- ctDNA technology in lung cancer: personalised healthcare in action
- Circulating tumour DNA technology: the future of cancer management?
- Protecting patients from healthcare associated infections: a role for genomics
- Genomics for infection control: meeting local and national needs
- Genomics and the management of antimicrobial resistance: current successes and future challenges
- Commentary on ACMG statement
- Using genomics to improve drug prescribing
- Further pieces found in the puzzle of severe COVID-19
- An eye to the future: review of screening programmes in England
- A five-year strategy for infectious diseases
- Cancer screening services of the future
- Rethinking vaccination with RNA vaccines
- Meet the expert – Laura Blackburn
- Putting pathology back in the spotlight
- Microfluidics: enabling ‘micro’ medical technologies
- What is transcriptomics?
- Asking the right questions about genome editing
- Regenerative medicines – can the Government and the NHS deliver?
- ctDNA technology-personalised healthcare in action
- Genome-editing in medicine – where are we?
- Clinical proteome analysis – the key to personalised medicine
- Circulating tumour DNA technology-the future of cancer management?
- The ethics of genome editing: where now?
- AMR tops the international agenda
- Genome editing: promising, but beware the hype
- Liquid biopsy – liquid gold for cancer management?
- The global battle against AMR – can technology lead the way?
- Epigenome analysis: Another tool in the personalised medicine kit?
- Pathogen surveillance using WGS: forewarned is forearmed
- Illumina reaches for the cancer testing GRAIL
- A new path to smarter drug prescribing and funding?
- Infection control leads the way for the use of pathogen genomics
- TB in England: moving closer to deployment of whole genome sequencing
- An integrated strategy for implementing infectious disease genomics
- Rise of the superbugs?
- Smarter antibiotic use beats resistant bacteria
- Navigating genomic complexity: the epigenomics roadmap
- PHE and NHSE pledge to eliminate TB in England
- Using genomics to tackle antimicrobial resistance
- Genome sequencing sheds light on deadly antibiotic resistant hospital infections
- Biomarkers for personalised prevention of chronic diseases: a common protocol for three rapid scoping reviews. Syst Rev 13, 147 (2024). Plans-Beriso, E., Babb de Villiers, C., Petrova, D. Turner, H., Blackburn, L. et al. https://doi.org/10.1186/
s13643-024-02554-9 - Optimising Exome Prenatal Sequencing Services (EXPRESS): a study protocol to evaluate rapid prenatal exome sequencing in the NHS Genomic Medicine Service
Melissa Hill; Sian Ellard; Jane Fisher; Naomi Fulop; Marian Knight; Mark Kroese; Jean Ledger; Kerry Leeson-Beevers; Alec McEwan; Dominic McMullan; Laura Blackburn et al. [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]. NIHR Open Res 2022, 2:10 - How can we address the uncertainties regarding the potential clinical utility of polygenic score-based tests?
Moorthie S, Hall A, Babb de Villiers C, Janus J, Brigden T, Blackburn L, Kroese M. Future Medicine. 15 March 2022.