معرفی
Dr. Soumya Palliyil serves as Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Scottish Biologics Facility at the University of Aberdeen's School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition. She leads diagnostic and therapeutic monoclonal antibody development programs targeting Alzheimer's disease, liver fibrosis, and bacterial/fungal infections with global academic and industry collaborations.
Her educational background includes a BSc in Microbiology from Bharathiar University (India), followed by an MRes in Medical Molecular Genetics at Aberdeen funded by the British Council-Commonwealth Scholarship. She completed her PhD in 2010 developing monoclonal antibodies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa under Prof. Andy Porter with Wyeth/Pfizer collaboration.
Research focuses on three critical areas:
- Alzheimer's Disease: Generating over 300 tau-targeting monoclonal antibodies via 'Forced Epitope Selection' with TauRx Pharmaceuticals for early diagnosis and treatment
- Antimicrobial Resistance: Developing point-of-care diagnostics for Pseudomonas respiratory infections and fungal therapeutics through partnerships with Nottingham, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen universities
- Liver Disease: Engineering bispecific binding domains for NASH treatment via Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Elasmogen Ltd
Recipient of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship (2011-2012), she mentors PhD students Richard Lofthouse, Lewis Penny, Mark Mawer, and Tyng Hwey Tan while coordinating MSc research projects. As Treasurer of the Aberdeen Immunology Group and NVISION committee member, she actively shapes postdoctoral development. The Scottish Biologics Facility under her leadership remains a global hub for antibody therapeutics with extensive industry-academic networks.
