Joy Milne

Joy Milne is an Honorary Lecturer in Analytical Olfaction at The University of Manchester, affiliated with the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. Her work focuses on developing odor-based diagnostic tools for Parkinson’s disease (PD). She identified PD’s distinctive odor profile, leading to collaborative research with scientists at Edinburgh and Manchester Universities. Her research employs mass spectrometry and thermal desorption techniques to isolate PD biomarkers in sebum. She co-founded Sebomix Ltd to commercialize these findings and contributes to projects like TB infection diagnosis through odor analysis.

Education: EUPATI Fellowship (2022–2023), Scottish Certified Midwife (1973–1974), Registered General Nurse (1969–1973).

Research Interests: Leveraging olfactory detection for early disease diagnosis, metabolomics of sebum, and biomarker discovery. Her studies revealed 10% of sebum metabolites differ in PD patients, aiding non-invasive diagnostics. Collaborations include work on canine detection of PD and TB-related odors.

Awards: 2021 Horizon Prize for Chemistry, recognizing her groundbreaking contributions to biomarker detection.

Grants & Roles: Secured Parkinson’s UK funding for PD odor biomarker research. Serves on advisory committees for the TraPCaf project and YOPD, and leads PPI for cognitive impairment support in PD.

Lab/Teams: Collaborates with Manchester University’s analytical chemistry teams and contributes to Sebomix’s R&D efforts.