Dr John W Wills

Degrees, Awards and Prizes

B.Sc. (Hons) (Swansea), Ph.D. (Swansea)

Research themes

During my Ph.D. and post-doctoral studies, I developed a strong interest in high-content imaging using light microscopy and electron microanalytical techniques. A key focus became the employment of these approaches to better understand the physiologic behavior and cellular interactions of novel nanoparticles / nanomedicines within biological systems. Building on this work, in the Spring of 2017, I was awarded a Herchel-Smith Fellowship to develop ‘In Situ Cytometry’ – a microscopy, image analysis and machine-learning based technology that aims to permit ‘flow-cytometry type’ analyses of intact tissue sections. I am currently focussed on demonstrating the capabilities of this approach by investigating the roll of newly-discovered, endogenous gut nanomineral particles in shuttling antigen, promoting oral immuno-tolerance and how possible dysfunction in this pathway might lead to Crohn’s disease.

In the Autumn of 2017, I was extremely fortunate to join Girton College as the Hertha Ayrton Research Fellow.

Other

Herchel-Smith Fellow, School of Biological Sciences.