Oliver Brookes

Dr. Oliver Brookes is a Research Fellow at Queen Mary University of London's School of Engineering and Materials Science, supervised by Prof David Lee in Engineering Building 147. His work bridges biomedical engineering and toxicology through advanced in vitro model development.

Primary research foci include:

• Stem Cell Biology: Biomechanical properties of embryonic stem cells and pericyte differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells
• Respiratory Modeling: Co-culture systems for alveolar/bronchial epithelium and nanoparticle interaction studies
• Nanotoxicology: Pulmonary surfactant effects on nanoparticle uptake and xenobiotic exposure mechanisms

His 2017-2023 publications demonstrate evolving expertise in 3D respiratory barrier models, with increasing emphasis on repeated exposure scenarios and secretome dynamics. Key methodological trends include integration of biomechanical analysis with stem cell models and translation of co-culture systems for toxicity screening.

Brookes currently leads an Innovate UK-funded project (£34,996 BBSRC ICURe Explore grant; Oct 2024-Jan 2025) focused on commercializing respiratory barrier models. He collaborates within Prof Lee's biomaterials research group and cross-institutional toxicology networks to advance preclinical testing platforms.