Jo Valerie Rushworth Author

Jo Valerie Rushworth received her BSc in Biochemistry in 2005 and her Wellcome Trust-funded PhD in 2012 from the University of Leeds. Jo also carried out research projects at the Sainsbury Laboratory (Norwich, UK) and the Universite de Paris-Sud (France). In between her degree and PhD, Jo was a high-school Chemistry teacher. Jo studied the molecular and structural biology of amyloid-beta oligomers, a causative agent of Alzheimer's disease, during her PhD. She is now integrating her Alzheimer's research background with her interest in electrochemical biosensors to develop impedimetric sensors for the specific detection of biologically-relevant amyloid-beta oligomers. Natalie A. Hirst gained a BSc in Experimental Pathology in 2005, before a Medical degree in 2006 from the University of London, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, having passed the requisite examination. She is currently in her final year of study for a PhD with the Bionanotechnology Group at the University of Leeds, having taken time out of full time surgical training. Her current research is the development of electrochemical biosensors for early detection of complications after bowel surgery. Jack A. Goode received his BSc in Nanotechnology in 2010 from the University of Leeds, during which time he completed a research project looking at novel photo-activated dental materials. Jack is currently undertaking a CASE-funded PhD at Leeds, in which he is developing multi-array electrochemical biosensors for research and medical diagnostics, in collaboration with an industrial partner. Jack is particularly interested in the modification of antibodies in order to improve their performance as bioreceptors in impedimetric biosensing, as well as biosensor regeneration and the integration of sensors into multi-array systems. Douglas J. Pike received his BSc in Geosciences from the Open University in 2008 and then obtained an MSc in Hydrogeology from the University of Leeds in 2010. Doug is currently undertaking his PhD, which combines engineering and electrochemical biosensing, at Leeds. Doug is currently developing an automated, remotely-controlled system for the real-time monitoring of radioactive contaminants in groundwater. Doug's research has already generated a flow cell in which electrochemical biosensors for this application can operate. His current research is focussed upon the integration of environmental biosensors into the novel flow cell. Asif Ahmed received his BSc in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering from Khulna University, Bangladesh, in 2002. After spending two years as a Lecturer at Khulna University, Asif obtained his fully funded MSc in Biomolecular Science from the University of Science and Technology, Korea in 2009. During his MSc he utilised in silico pharmacophore modelling and virtual screening to generate novel anti-obesity drug scaffolds to target the serotonin receptor (5-HT2c). Asif currently holds the post of Assistant Professor at Khulna University whilst he is carrying out his PhD at the University of Leeds. Asif's current research focuses upon electrochemical biosensors for the detection of whole pathogenic bacteria. He is particularly interested in the optimisation and characterisation of biosensor surfaces at the nano-scale in order to maximise signal and minimise non-specific binding. Paul A. Millner After his BSc in Biochemistry, PhD in Plant Science at the University of Leeds (UK), then Postdoctoral Fellowships at Purdue University (Indiana, USA) and Imperial College (London, UK), Paul returned to Leeds in 1986 as a Lecturer. After 15 years as a plant biotechnologist/protein chemist, Paul moved into the area of nano- and bionanotechnology, with a particular interest in the development of biosensors for applications as diverse as medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring and detection of biological and chemical toxins. Paul is currently the Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds and also heads the Bionanotechnology Group. Current programmes in Paul's group include electrochemical biosensors for diagnosis of STIs, MRSA and other bacteria, biosensors for detecting bowel leakage after colorectal cancer resection; targeted and fluorescent nanoparticles for colorectal cancer; photosensitiser-loaded nanofibres for the solar sanitation of polluted water. Paul's work is united by a deep interest in bioengineering on the nanoscale by interfacing biological reagents with surfaces to result in electrical communication or enhanced activity.