Dr. Tammy Kalber

Dr. Tammy Kalber

My work centres on developing innovative imaging techniques using nanochemistry and molecular engineering to monitor cell therapies in vivo. I intend to correlate quantitative delivery and localisation of cells, with the assessment of cell viability, in order to investigate the efficacy of cell therapies and predict their potential therapeutic outcomes.

This work utilises two cell labelling strategies: direct labelling and genetic reporter labelling. Nanoparticles and low molecular weight compounds are used to directly label cells with imaging agents. With genetic reporter labelling, the cells are genetically modified to express a gene that can incorporate an imaging probe into viable cells. Combining these two techniques allows cells to be tracked and assessed in vivo using a multitude of different imaging platforms (MRI, PET/SPECT/CT, optical) across scale (whole body to micrometre range).

Projects

Cell therapies are advantageous in many diseases. My work has two main applications; 1) to monitor stem cells in models of regenerative medicine (UK Regenerative Medicine Platform Safety and Efficacy Hub) and as potential adjuvant cancer therapies; 2) to monitor immune cells when applied as immunotherapies, such as CAR-T cell therapies, or their role in regenerative medicine.

Biography

2014 - Present       University College London
EPSRC Early Career Fellow (Senior Research Associate)
Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, London, UK

2009 - 2014           University College London
Research Associate
Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, London, UK

2005 - 2009           MRC Clinical Sciences Centre
Career Development Fellow
Metabolic & Molecular Imaging Group, London, UK

2002 - 2005           St. George's Hospital Medical School
- University College London
BBSRC/AstraZenca case Ph.D studentship
Department of Basic Sciences, London, UK

1998 - 2001           Kingston University, Surrey, UK
BSc Biomedical Sciences (1st Class)

Selected publications

Castillo SD, Tzouanacou E, Zaw-Thin M, Berenjeno IM, Parker VE, Chivite I, Milà-Guasch M, Pearce W, Solomon I, Angulo-Urarte A, Figueiredo AM, Dewhurst RE, Knox RG, Clark GR, Scudamore CL, Badar A, Kalber TL, Foster J, Stuckey DJ, David AL, Phillips WA, Lythgoe MF, Wilson V, Semple RK, Sebire NJ, Kinsler VA, Graupera M, Vanhaesebroeck B. (2016) Somatic activating mutations in Pik3ca cause sporadic venous malformations in mice and humans. Sci Transl Med 8(332)332ra43.

Hembury M, Chiappini C, Bertazzo S, Kalber TL, Drisko GL, Ogunlade O, Walker-Samuel S, Krishna KS, Jumeaux C, Beard P, Kumar CS, Porter AE, Lythgoe MF, Boissière C, Sanchez C, Stevens MM. (2015) Gold-silica quantum rattles for multimodal imaging and therapy. PNAS 112(7):1959-64

Connell JJ, Patrick PS, Yu Y, Lythgoe MF, Kalber TL. (2015) Advanced cell therapies: targeting, tracking and actuation of cells with magnetic particles. Regen Med 10(6):757-72

Mitchell N*, Kalber TL*, Cooper MS, Sunassee K, Chalker SL, Shaw KP, Ordidge KL, Badar A, Janes SM, Blower PJ, Lythgoe MF, Hailes HC, Tabor AB. (2013) Incorporation of paramagnetic, fluorescent and PET/SPECT contrast agents into liposomes for multimodal imaging. Biomaterials 34(4):1179-92.

Kamaly N, Kalber T, Thanou M, Bell JD, Miller AD. (2009) Folate receptor targeted bimodal liposomes for tumor magnetic resonance imaging. Bioconjugate Chemistry 20(4):648-55.

Keywords

Cell tracking, Nanoparticles, Cancer therapy, Regenerative medicine, Multi-modal Imaging