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Thomas Adam
Name:
Tom Adam
Job title:
Research Assistant
Place of work / study:
UK Dementia Research Institute, Imperial College London
Area of Research:
UTI home diagnostics for people living with dementia
How is your work funded:
UK DRI
Tell us a little about yourself:
I studied mechanical engineering and then biomedical engineering. I started working at Imperial during Covid to help establish the Lighthouse Lab for Covid testing, where I was in charge of the liquid handling robots. As time went on, I was able to take on more projects, one of which was developing this UTI testing device. It suited me well, since I wanted to move into the design and development space of medical devices. In this project, I work with a team of biologists to build a device which uses a DNA amplification process to detect the presence of bacteria relating to UTIs. We worked with the Helix Centre to conduct workshops with those affected by dementia to steer the features of the device. More recently, we are taking our first steps in translating our research into a real-world environment; specifically, we are planning an experiment to test urine samples in GP practices to collect further data on the device’s accuracy. Our aim with this is to mitigate the need for symptom recognition for those living with dementia, and instead detect these infections in the comfort of their home, thereby reducing hospitalisation.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I have 6 nephews – yes no nieces at all.
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
Because engineering can really help to improve the lives of people living with dementia.
What single piece of advise would you give to an early career researcher?
Present your work as much as you can – feedback is a very efficient way to learn.
What book are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Behold the dreamers. Yes, don’t judge it by its cover.
Favourite film of all time?
Fantastic Mr. Fox
UK DRI
