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Professor Paul Freemont
Name:
Paul Freemont
Job title:
Professor and UKDRI Group Leader
Place of work / study:
UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London
Area of Research:
Understanding the link between Urinary tract infections and cognitive decline in people living with dementia. We are trying to identify pre-symptomatic urine biomarkers that can be used to predict the onset of a UTI. We are also building an ‘in home device’ to allow people living with dementia to monitor their urine for potential UTIs.
How is your work funded:
UK Dementia Research Institute and UKRI MRC
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am the co-founder of the Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation and co-founder and co-director of the National UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre for Synthetic Biology (SynbiCITE – since 2013). I am also director of the London BioFoundry (since 2016) and founded and previously led the Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Imperial College. I was previously the Head of the Division of Molecular Biosciences and Centre for Structural Biology having joined Imperial from Cancer Research UK London Research Institute (now known as the Crick Research Institute) where I was Principal Investigator and Head of Group.
My synthetic biology research is focused on developing automation and biofoundries and cell-free systems for specific synthetic biology applications. My most recent work has focused on understanding urinary tract infections in people living with dementia with the aim of identifying new prognostic urine biomarkers to allow early clinical interventions. I am author of over 300 scientific publications (H-index 97) and am an elected member of European Molecular Biology Organisation and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Royal Society of Chemistry and Royal Society of Medicine and I am an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art. Externally, I co-chairs the newly formed UK Governments Ministerial Engineering Biology Advisory Panel and sit on the UK Governments Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel. I am also co-founder and founding chair of the Global Biofoundry Alliance.
I am a passionate advocate for the commercialisation of engineering biology and am co-founder of the Imperial spin-out Solena Materials Ltd developing designer protein fibres and also of SynBioVen Ltd, an early-stage seed investment company for engineering biology start-ups in the UK.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I like mountain climbing and outdoor activities which also include gardening
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
My father had dementia and his demise was accelerated by a urinary tract infection
What single piece of advise would you give to an early career researcher?
Believe in yourself
What’s the best decision you ever made?
Marrying my wife Elizabeth
Favourite vacation spot?
Anywhere with mountains
UK DRI