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 Law. She 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)
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.
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, Liverpool University
- Dr Carola Schönlieb, University of Cambridge
- Professor Graham Ogg, University of Oxford
- Dr Michael FitzPatrick, 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 Jamie Blundell, University of Cambridge
- Dr Dan Hodson, University of Cambridge
- Dr Shonali Natu, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Adrian Bateman Bateman, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Professor Mark Arends, University of Edinburgh
Publications
Publications on Pubmed (a small number are not indexed here)
Teaching and Supervisions
Part Ib Biology of Disease Lectures, Easter term, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge
Part 1b Biology of Disease Practical classes, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge
Part 1b Biology of Disease Senior Examiner, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge
Year 6 (Final MB) Clincial Medical Course, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge
Director of Studies (Preclinical Medicine and Veterinary Medicine), Churchill College, University of Cambridge
Chair of Examination Standard Setting Committee, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cambridge
Guest Lecturer, MSc in Oncology, University of Nottingham
Lecturer, Nottingham Molecular Diagnostics Training School (annually)
Lecturer, Vienna Molecular Diagnostics Training School (annually)
Discussion with prospective MPhil and PhD students welcomed.
Group members:
- Florian Jaeckle (Jointly with Lyzeum Ltd and Cambridge Image Analysis Group (CIA) at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP))
- Shelley Evans (PhD student, joint with Jamie Blundell's group)
- Kim Luu Hoang (PhD student)
- Isaac Pi (PhD student)
- Antonio Choi Chiu (PhD student)
- Christina (Heeyeon) Lee (MPhil student)
- Matthew Ferguson (3rd year undergraduate ("Part 2") project student)
- Tahsinul Huq (3rd year undergraduate ("Part 2") project student)
- Priyanka Gopalkaje (3rd year undergraduate ("Part 2") project student)
- Sankavi Manoharan (3rd year undergraduate ("Part 2") project student)
Other Professional Activities
- Honorary Consultant Pathologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (haematopathology, molecular pathology & autopsy pathology)
- Honorary Associate Professor, University of Oxford
- Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland Committee Member
- Editor, Diagnostics
- Editor, Lymphatics
