Samantha Amanda Sathyapala – Behavioural Networks- Best Researcher Award

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Samantha Amanda Sathyapala – Behavioural Networks – Best Researcher Award

Dr. S.A. Sathyapala distinguished academic and researcher in the field Behavioural Networks. Amanda Sathyapala is a Senior Lecturer in the Airways Disease Section of the National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London and a Consultant Respiratory Physician, and Clinical Lead of the Home Ventilation Service, at Harefield Hospital. Her clinical expertise is in sleep-disordered breathing, which includes obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and hypoventilation secondary to obesity and severe chronic lung disease, chest wall deformity or neuromuscular conditions, chronic respiratory failure and home nocturnal non-invasive ventilation. She is also accredited to deliver Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia. Her current research is aimed at improving patient adherence to CPAP. She is Research Committee Lead for the British Sleep Society and sits on their Executive Board, is a member of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) for the RfPB London region NIHR funding scheme and reviews for the top ranked respiratory and muscle journals.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

Dr Sathyapala is a tenured academic at Imperial College London and a practising respiratory physician, specialising in Sleep Medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust in London, in the UK. She qualified with First Class Honours in Pre-Clinical Medicine and an intercalated BSc in Experimental Psychology at Cambridge University and completed her Clinical Medicine training at Oxford University (1996-1999). She completed her junior doctor training in Oxford and London and her PhD at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London and Maastricht University, which was funded by aprestigious Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellowship. She then took up her permanent position at Imperial College London after winning one of 30 national awards in the final roundof a scheme to support clinical academics long-term.

Research Experience

Her early work from PhD until late 2018 was on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). In the last five years,Dr Sathypala’s focus has been on improving patient adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Her grouphave identified that there are six early patterns of behaviour inpatient starting CPAP and that these strongly predict adherence to CPAP at Month 3 of treatment which in turn strongly predicts long-term adherence.These refute previous thinking and will result in current recommendations for practicebeing changed.

🏆🏆Awards🏆🏆

She was awarded a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellowship to complete her PhD (awarded 2011) in Professor Mike Polkey’s lab at the Royal Brompton Hospital, which also included a year abroad in the Netherlands, at Maastricht University in Professor Annemie Schols’ lab. Dr Sathyapala was awarded a HEFCE Clinical Senior Lectureship; since 2012, she has been a Senior Lecturer and a Principal Investigator at the NHLI and an Consultant Physician at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. She was elected as Fellow to the Royal College of Physicians in April 2015.

 

Research interests

Dr Sathyapala’s research relates to adherence to CPAP in patients with OSA which is low based on existing data from trial participants. Her group have demonstrated that CPAP adherence rates are very low in clinical cohorts across the UK, between 27-50% in 2019 and 29-51% in 2020 and described a novel model of CPAP adherence behaviour. Her team are current developing a healthcare intervention for NHS sleep services to provide patients when starting CPAP to increase patients’ adherence to CPAP.

PREVIOUS RESEARCH

Dr Sathyapala’s work has previously been on skeletal muscle dysfunction in COPD and in other chronic diseases, in particular to identify molecular mechanisms which underlie premature muscle fatigue hence exercise intolerance and which are amenable to drug treatment. This is a small field but one of growing importance as skeletal muscle dysfunction is an important cause of frailty, which is a growing problem in ageing populations. To raise awareness of importance of this problem and to foster collaborative working between basic and clinical scientists with common interests, Dr Sathyapala hosted the first international symposium on ‘Skeletal muscle oxidative metabolism as a target for treating human disease’ at the NHLI in 2016.

📝🔬Publications📝🔬

 

Rozita Nasiri – Biological Networks – Women Researcher Award

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Dr. Rozita Nasiri distinguished academic and researcher in the field Biological Networks.  She possesses extensive expertise across a wide array of disciplines within biotechnology and biomedical research. Her skills encompass conducting in vitro studies, where she is adept at working with both normal and cancer cells in tissue culture laboratories, proficiently executing various in vitro tests. Additionally, she holds substantial experience in in vivo studies, including working with animal models such as mice and rats to establish conditions like cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and lead contamination, among others. Her proficiency extends to pharmacology and toxicology, as well as treatment studies.🧬🔗

Furthermore, she is highly skilled in molecular analysis techniques, including PCR, RT-PCR, SDS page, gel electrophoresis, gel extraction, plasmid extraction, dialysis, and genomic and proteomic extraction and isolation. She is also capable of gene and protein sequencing and determining DNA and protein concentrations. Her expertise extends to conducting hematology, immunology, and pathology tests, including biocompatibility studies.🧬

 

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

She completed her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Biology (Cell and Molecular Biology) from Islamic Azad University (I.R.IRAN) from 2002 to 2006. Following that, she pursued her Master of Science in Biotechnology at UTM (Universiti Technologi Malaysia) from 2009 to 2011, where her research focused on molecular identification of biodegradation related genes from dye-degrading microbes. Subsequently, she earned her PhD in Bioprocess Engineering from the Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Department of Bioprocess Engineering, spanning from 2012 to 2017. Her doctoral thesis, titled “Synthesis and Characterization of SPIONs-Bromelain-Folic acid on Folic Acid Receptor Positive Cancer Model,” demonstrated her expertise in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials for targeted cancer therapy. Throughout her academic journey, she has consistently excelled, maintaining a CGPA of 4 out of 4 for her PhD and 3.62 out of 4 for her Master’s degree.

She has received several notable awards and recognitions for her outstanding contributions to the field of biotechnology and bioprocess engineering. In 2013, she was honored with the Best Paper Award at IGCESH for her research on identifying novel bacterial species capable of degrading Dalapon using 16S rRNA genomic analysis. Additionally, she received the Best New Idea Award from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, showcasing her innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. Furthermore, her academic excellence was acknowledged through the receipt of an International Doctoral Fellowship from the School of Graduate Studies at UTM, underscoring her dedication to advancing knowledge in her field through research and scholarly endeavors.

Books📚📚📚

1. 2019 “Genetic, Molecular Identification and Bioinformatics Analysis of Carcinogenic Azo Dyes’
Biodegradation related Genes from Citrobacter freundii A1, Enterococcus casseliflavus C1, Enterobacter
cloacae L17 and Candida tropicalis RETL-Cr1 Microorganisms,” Ariyadanesh Press, Iran.
2. 2019 “Synthesis, Characterization and Cancer Therapy Application of Novel Targeted SPIONsBromelainFolic acid Nano-Medicine on FAR+ Cancer Model”, Ariyadanesh Press, Iran.

WORK EXPERIENCE 🧬🔗

She has accumulated a diverse range of professional experiences and roles throughout her career. Initially, she worked as a Medical Laboratory Assistant at Tabatabaei Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and later at Dr. Ghaziasgar Medical Laboratory from 2006 to 2008, where she performed various laboratory tests. Transitioning into academia, she assumed the position of a University Lecturer and Laboratory Instructor at Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan Branch, starting in 2019. In this role, she teaches cell culture techniques, animal handling, and molecular laboratory skills. Simultaneously, she serves as a University Lecturer in English Literature, delivering English courses to undergraduate, master, and PhD students.

Expanding her academic endeavors, she also holds positions as a University Lecturer in Molecular Cell Biology and Biostatistics at the University of Isfahan since 2021, where she imparts knowledge on cell biology, molecular science, and biostatistics. Furthermore, she engages in research activities at the Royan Institute, focusing on the development of inactivated vaccines and antidiarrheal IgY polyclonal antibodies paste products.

Moreover, she plays a significant role as a Co-Supervisor for various Master and PhD projects, supervising research in areas such as nanotechnology, exercise physiology, cancer prevention, and drug development. Additionally, she has conducted research at the Royan Institute and the Dr. Mohammad Shafie Special Center of New Science and Technologies, leading projects focused on vaccine development and R&D in various scientific domains. Her contributions to both academia and research demonstrate her multidisciplinary expertise and commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and innovation.