Melpomeni Kalofonou PhD

Melpomeni Kalofonou received the Dipl.-Eng. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2007 from the University of Patras, Greece followed by an MSc in Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Bioengineering in 2009 and a PhD from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2013 as part of the Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology, Imperial College London.

Her PhD research focused on the application of semiconductor technology in detection of cancer biomarkers using microchip based chemical sensors (Ion-Sensitive Field-Effect Transistors, ISFETs) integrated with current-mode circuits as part of Lab-on-Chip diagnostic platforms. Her work led to the demonstration of the first proof-of-concept method using ISFETs for real-time amplification and detection of DNA methylation, an epigenetic biomarker contributing significantly in the development and progression of cancer.

She continued on to become a Postdoctoral Researcher and lead the Cancer Engineering Technology initiative within the Centre for Bio-Inspired Technology. Her current research focuses on the use of fully integrated microchip technology as a diagnostic platform for detection of breast cancer minimal residual disease and relapse as well as monitoring of resistance to treatment, targeting tumour specific cell-free DNA markers through pH-sensitive isothermal DNA amplification chemistries. Her research interests also expand in the development of microchip sensing arrays for detection and quantification of DNA methylation as well as algorithms for feature extraction, classification and prediction based on real-time sensor data.