Dr Henry Wood

Profile

I work to coordinate wet lab and bioinformatics analysis to provide clinically relevant interpretation of large-scale datasets. I mainly work with genomic and microbiome data for various cancer types, particularly colorectal cancer.

My PhD and early career were spent studying evolutionary processes in non-model organisms using genetic fingerprinting techniques, followed by molecular cloning and sequencing. Specifically, I studied the evolution of drug resistance in commercially important crop diseases and speciation in marine molluscs. I moved into cancer research in 2009, where my experience working with non-optimal environmental samples allowed me to develop novel laboratory techniques to study genomic changes and viral infections in archival tumour samples using the newly emerging next-generation sequencing platforms. Working initially on lung and oral cancer, my work became progressively more computational, to process the ever-increasing amounts of data produced by the rapidly improving technology.

Collaborating with statisticians, I have developed multiple computer packages which process sequence data to study genomic copy number changes, viral infection, cancer subtype stratification, and survival. We used these approaches to study the genomic changes and sub-clonal makeup of early lesions, and their subsequent development into tumours and metastases.

In 2013, I joined the Colorectal Cancer Research Group in Leeds, where as well as my own research, my duties involved the management and development of genomic research in the group, with particular responsibility for bridging the gap between wet lab scientists and bioinformatic analysis.

In 2023, I was made a lecturer. As such, my role continued but was expanded to include the exploration of novel areas of research and making bioinformatic analyses accessible to researchers from a broad range of backgrounds.

Responsibilities

• Co-lead, MRes Medicine

Research interests

My main research activity is the running and development of genomic and microbiome research in the Colorectal Cancer Research Group. Part of this role involves the routine handling of clinical trial material, whilst part of it is more experimental. In particular, I am working on using next-generation sequencing technology and other high-throughput techniques to look at screening, tumour stratification, progression, heterogeneity and clonality. I am interested both in new laboratory techniques and computational methods that will allow the nature of tumour genomes and cancer progression to be more thoroughly examined.

As well as my main research in colorectal cancer, I have developed several external collaborations in related fields. The more long-term collaborations include:

Mathematics - In collaboration with Arief Gusnanto and Charles Taylor in the School of Mathematics, I develop statistical methodologies to study tumour stratification and genomic copy number data.

Head and neck cancer - Working with Preetha Chengot, Anastasios Kanatas, Ken MacKlennan, Neeraj Sethi and colleagues in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals, I study the genomics and sub-clonal makeup of oral cancer as it develops from early lesions, through invasive disease through to possible recurrence and metastasis.

Lung cancer - Collaborating with Peter Tcherveniakov, Manos Kefaloyannis and Eldo Verghese in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals, I look at early detection and patient stratification in lung cancer.

Qualifications

• PhD, Molecular genetics. University of Nottingham. 2002.
• BSc (Hons), Genetics. University of Leeds. 1998.

Student education

Joint programme lead, MRes Medicine.

PhD Supervision

Li Chengxin - co-supervised with Arief Gusnanto (Maths)

Charlotte Campbell-Broad - co-supervised with Kate Marks, Nick West, and Phil Quirke (LIMR)

Jack Helliwell - co-supervised with David Jayne, Caroline Chilton (LIMR), Janine Bestall (LIHS), Deborah Stocken (LICTR)

Dilek Yener - co-supervised with Susan Richman (LIMR), Alison Devonshire, Carole Foy and Jim Huggett (National Measurement Laboratory)

Diego Sanchez Martinez - co-supervised with Robert Bristow, Pedro Oliveira, David Wedge (Manchester)

Previous PhD students

Mary Booth – co-supervised with Phil Quirke, Heike Grabsch (LIMR) and Mark Travis (Manchester)

Chloe Kirkby – co-supervised with Nick West (LIMR) and Steve Evans (Physics)

Timothy Palmer – co-supervised with Phil Quirke and Matt Seymour (LIMR)

Alison Telford – co-supervised with Arief Gusnanto and Charles Taylor (Maths)

Caroline Young – co-supervised with Phil Quirke and Eva Morris (LIMR)

Neeraj Sethi – co-supervised by Pamela Rabbitts and Ken MacKlennan (LIMR)

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's
• Pathology and Data Analytics