Enabling Omics-Ready Tissue for Advanced Research
Through a Specialist Secondment Model
The Living Laboratory’s Radiogenomics and CYGNUS projects rely on high-quality, well-annotated human tissue to drive imaging-genomics research, biomarker discovery, and molecular characterisation, supporting the advancement of precision medicine.
Delivered in partnership with the NHS, these projects depend on the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GGC) Biorepository, which provides centralised, genomics-ready samples to ensure reliable workflows and high-quality data.
To strengthen this collaboration and optimise the use of biorepository samples, Specialist Biomedical Scientist Alan Kennedy was seconded to the NHS GGC Biorepository. This secondment improved tissue preparation and characterisation for advanced genomics and molecular analyses, while building long-term NHS expertise and capacity to support future innovation.
Impact
The secondment delivered tangible benefits for both the NHS and wider research community, strengthening capability, collaboration, and quality in omics research:
- Provided dedicated, specialised access to omics-grade tissue, enabling advanced omics and molecular analyses.
- Improved knowledge across Biorepositories to support future delivery of omics tissue-based research.
- Enhanced data quality and regulatory compliance, ensuring robust and reproducible results.
- Strengthened partnerships between NHS and industry innovators, fostering collaborative healthcare innovation.
- Developed specialist expertise, with the secondee gaining in-depth knowledge of biobanking and omics workflows, bringing skills back to support future NHS-led research and innovation.
Key Learnings
Early engagement with stakeholders, the adoption of shared standards, and targeted workforce development are critical to the successful delivery of omics-enabled research. This secondment model demonstrates how embedding specialist expertise within a biorepository can strengthen workflows, improve sample quality, and support collaboration between the NHS and industry.
By building internal capability and fostering knowledge exchange, the approach enhances NHS capacity for translational research and can be scaled across biorepositories to accelerate the UK’s omics and precision medicine agenda.
Why This Matters
■ Omics research relies on high-quality, ethically sourced, and well-annotated tissue.
■ Innovators face challenges such as variable sample quality and the need to adapt workflows for techniques like spatial transcriptomics.
Secondment Contribution
■ Alan Kennedy worked within the NHS GGC Biorepository to enhance workflows supporting omics research.
■ Through microtomy, digital scanning, and advanced staining, he improved sample characterisation, quality, and readiness for advanced analyses.
