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Department of Pathology

 
- Novel diagnostics
- Coeliac disease
- Lymphoma
- Immunity to COVID
- Molecular diagnostics
- Mouse models of immunological and haematopathological disease

Biography

Liz Soilleux is a professor in the Department of Pathology, an honorary consultant in haematopathology, molecular pathology and autopsy pathology, and the preclinical director of studies for medicine at Churchill College, Cambridge University.  Her research interests lie in immunology and haematology, particularly the analysis of T-cells in diagnostics, related both to lymphoma and to immunological/ inflammatory conditions.  She is also interested in the application of novel mathematical algorithms to various aspects of diagnosis, including digital image analysis and the analysis of large datasets, with the aim of improving objectivity of diagnosis and efficiency of workflow, perhaps with future automation of aspects of diagnostic histopathology. She has recently founded Lyzeum Ltd, a company with the aim of rapidly advancing digital image analysis for the diagnosis of benign immunological conditions, principally coeliac disease, and the company has been awarded Coeliac UK/ Innovate UK grant funding. She teaches parts of the Part 1b course (year 2), as well as components of the clinical medical course (years 4 – 6).  Liz is also pleased to supervise at least one part 2 (3rd year) project each year for a medical, veterinary or natural science student. 

In addition to teaching and research, Liz also undertakes NHS work (lymphoma and leukaemia diagnosis, molecular pathology and autopsy work) as a consultant pathologist in the Haematopathology and Oncology Diagnostic Service (HODS) and the Department of Histopathology at Addenbrookes Hospital. On occasions, autopsy work results in appearances in the Coroner’s court.  Because of the legal aspects of such work, Liz also holds the Bond Solon/ Cardiff University Expert Witness Certificate in Civil LawShe has on one occasion been responsible for a legal precedent in the High Court.

Liz has a strong interest in molecular diagnostics, including cutting edge DNA/ RNA-based testing. Between 2018 and 2020, she was the Molecular Pathology Lead for the East Midlands and East of England Genomic Laboratory Hub, which is the largest of England's seven genomic laboratory hubs, covering a population of around 10 million. This role involved setting clinically focused strategy and making decisions about assays for molecular testing of solid cancer and lymphoma specimens.

She is also very interested in working with industry, to undertake translational research that can make a real difference to the lives of patients. As such, she has been appointed as one of the two Industrial Champions, representing the Cambridge University School of Biological Sciences. 

Liz Soilleux undertook both undergraduate and clinical medical training at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating in 1996 and moving rapidly towards specialisation in histopathology, working both as a senior house officer and registrar in Cambridge, while holding a teaching fellowship at Churchill College. She was awarded a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellowship to undertake a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Immunology, with additional funding from the Sackler Foundation. Her work made significant impact in the fields of HIV and immunology and culminated in the Dolph Adams Award from the Journal of Leucocyte Biology for the most highly cited original research paper in the journal in the preceding 5 years, in addition to a Glaxo Smith Kline fellowship from the Royal Society of Medicine and the Association of Clinical Pathologists’ Trainee Pathologists prize, both for being the most outstanding academic trainee pathologist in the UK in her cohort.

She moved to Oxford to take up a Clinical Lectureship in 2004, running and lecturing on a large component of the university’s 4th year medical course. She was also appointed as a lecturer at St Hugh’s College in 2004 and undertook tutorials (supervisions) in pathology for the undergraduate and graduate entry preclinical courses, as well as laboratory medicine tutorials for the clinical medical students. She completed her final FRCPath examination and ascended to the consultant grade in 2005.  She served as the Chief Examiner for the Oxford University Laboratory Medicine Course in 2009. She taught at postgraduate level on the internationally renowned ‘Oxford FRCPath Course’ between 2006 and 2017, which draws delegates from across the UK and internationally. Between 2008 and 2010, she was the training programme director for registrars (junior doctors) in pathology in the Oxford deanery, which included hospitals in Slough, Reading, Stoke Mandeville, High Wycombe and Milton Keynes.  Between 2009 and 2017, she was also the lead pathologist for Sudden Cardiac Death in young adults in the Oxford deanery and a member of the Cardiac Pathology Network Steering Group, which aims to improve the autopsy investigation of such potentially heritable disorders. 

At a national level, she chaired the Education Subcommittee of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2014 – 2017) and has been involved in organising a number of successful ‘PathSoc’ conferences.  She is the UK pathologist on the national Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Steering Group.  Liz was on the editorial board of Diagnostic Histopathology between 2009 and 2012.  She is also a regular examiner for the FRCPath examinations and acts as external examiner for Experimental Pathology at Barts and The London Medical School, Queen Mary, University of London.  She is a faculty member of the Nottingham Molecular Pathology course, its Viennese Society for Pathology counterpart and the PathSoc Winter School Clinical Pathology course. She also undertakes extensive outreach work on behalf of Coeliac UK

Outreach videos

Coeliac disease and COVID, made for Coeliac UK

https://www.facebook.com/CoeliacUK/posts/3130084173679284

https://www.facebook.com/CoeliacUK/posts/3130252866995748

https://www.facebook.com/CoeliacUK/posts/3130622940292074

Coeliac disease made for Cambridge Pint of Science

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rO50QpSma8 (starts at 15 minutes 06 seconds)

CRUK outreach material (printed)

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/funding-for-researchers/research-features/2020-05-28-cancer-detection-researchers-innovate-covid-19-testing

Outreach material for prospective medical students (applications, BMAT, masterclasses)

https://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/study-us/undergraduates/subjects/medicine/

PhD studentship opportunities

Liz Soilleux is pleased to accept applicants for PhD projects. 

Funding:
Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Coeliac UK

Innovate UK

MRC

BBSRC

Celgene

Ervaxx

CRUK 

Addenbrookes Charitable Trust

Petplan

The Kennel Club 

Research

Use of T-cells as a diagnostic tool in benign and malignant disease; digital image analysis; Assessment of the efficiency of diagnostic tools through large cohorts (UK Biobank).

Collaborators: 

  • Dr Anna Fowler, Lecturer, Liverpool University
  • Dr Bill Day, Roche Ventana, Tucson, Arizona, US
  • Dr Carola Schönlieb, University of Cambridge
  • Professor Graham Ogg, University of Oxford
  • Professor Paul Klenerman, University of Oxford
  • Dr Tom Littlejohns, Prof Naomi Allen, UK Biobank, University of Oxford
  • Dr Gerald Langman and Ms Hollie Bancroft, Heart of England NHS Foundation Hospital Trust/ Birmingham University
  • Dr Richard Colling, University of Oxford
  • Dr Angela Hamblin, University of Oxford
  • Dr Joy Archer, Cambridge University Veterinary School
  • Dr Kate Hughes, Cambridge University Veterinary School
  • Dr Jamie Blundell, University of Cambridge
  • Dr Dan Hodson, University of Cambridge

Activities beyond research:

  • Teaching Fellow and Preclinical Director of Studies, Churchill College, Cambridge
  • University Lecturer for undergraduate (2nd/ 3rd year) and clinical (4th - 6th year) pathology
  • Honorary Consultant Pathologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (haematopathology, molecular pathology & autopsy pathology)
  • Honorary Associate Professor, University of Oxford
  • External examiner for iBSc in Pathology, Queen Mary, University of London
  • External examiner for University of Manchester MSc in Molecular Pathology
  • Royal College of Pathologists Examiner
  • Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland Committee Member
  • Editor, Diagnostics

Publications

Key publications: 

Publications on Pubmed (a small number are not indexed here)

Publications on Google Scholar

Teaching and Supervisions

Research supervision: 

Discussion with prospective MPhil and PhD students welcomed.

Group members:

  • Shelley Evans
  • Ben Schreiber (PhD student, jointly with Cambridge Image Analysis Group (CIA) at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP)) 
  • Kim Luu Hoang (PhD student)
  • Jim Denholm (Jointly with Lyzeum Ltd and Cambridge Image Analysis Group (CIA) at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP))
  • Vrinda Shenoy (MPhil Student)
  • Yibin Chun (MPhil Student)
  • Jacky Yang (3rd year undergraduate)
  • Alex Saunders (3rd year undergraduate)
  • Leila Uddin (3rd year undergraduate)
  • Sruthi Ranganathan (3rd year undergraduate)
Professor of Diagnostics and Biomarkers/ Honorary Consultant Pathologist
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology
Director of Studies in Preclinical Medicine, Churchill College, Cambridge
Associate Professor/ Honorary Academic Visitor, Oxford University
Founder, Director and CEO, Lyzeum Ltd
Dr Elizabeth  Soilleux

Contact Details

Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology
Lab Block Level 3
Box 231
Addenbrooke's Hospital
Cambridge CB2 0QQ
01223 336916 (University) / 01223 254842 (NHS)
Takes PhD students
Available for consultancy

Affiliations