James McCullagh

James runs a research group that focuses on understanding the function of small molecules in complex biochemical systems with applications at the interface between chemistry, biology and medicine.  We use metabolomics and proteomics techniques to investigate altered metabolism in disease, the effect of gene mutations on cell function, altered metabolic states, environmental biomarkers, biotransfomation and pharmacometabolomics.  James is co-lead on the DeLIVER Program for work-packages involving the collection and analysis of liquid biopsies. Research involves the analysis of blood and urine samples from study participants across multiple cohorts (DELPHI, SELiNa and PEarl) to investigate and identify early detection biomarkers using multi-omics techniques. Analytical approaches include proteomics, metabolomics, RNA-sequencing and genomics in addition to other assays such as antibody signature discovery, viral sequencing and TET-assisted pyridine borane sequencing (TAPS). Our aim is to identify molecular level patterns in pre-cancerous states that are linked with progression to hepatocellular carcinoma in order to establish early-stage diagnostic approaches and therapies.