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School of Medicine

Dr Richard Byers 

Clinical Senior Lecturer

 

Research

My research is in the field of translational molecular pathology and is focused on application of microarray identified prognostic gene signatures to routine diagnostic use. This is being done using by;

  1. real-time PCR measurement of gene signatures in globally amplified polyA cDNA
  2. development of quantum-dot (qdot) based multiplex fluorescent in-situ hybridisation (ISH).
The former approach has been used in acute leukaemia and lymphoma and is being piloted in pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer. Qdot based multiple ISH, developed during a research sabbatical at the Broad Institute, MIT, is being used to measure prognostic genes in acute leukaemia and to investigate apoptosis and angiogenesis. The qdot work also aims to quantitate fluoresence gene expression signals for the first time in clinical tissue samples. These techniques are applicable to routinely processed clinical material and are generic in nature enabling extension to any tumour type. As such they represent a novel platform for the diagnostic measurement of prognostic genes.

I was visiting professor at the Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT 2003-2004 and continue to collaborate with the group. I am Chair of the Molecular Pathology Group of the Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland and co-organiser of the first Pathological Society Summer School, in Molecular Pathology. I have given several invited lectures on Qdot ISH and IHC (including Harvard, Boston
2003, Christie Hospital, Manchester 2004, St Bart's, London 2006, Ventana Symposium, Paris 2006, University of Newcastle 2007) and am molecular pathologist for the Clinical Experimental Pharmacology Group, PICR, Manchester. I am a reviewer for the Journal of Pathology, Histopathology, British Journal of Haematology and Journal of Clinical Pathology.
 

Biography

After general medical training, including an intercalated BSc in Anatomy and MSc in Cell and Structural Biology, I trained as a histopathologist and did a PhD in molecular biology, specifically in bone biology. Since then I have developed a diagnostic and research interest in haematopathology and my specialist diagnostic clinical interest is in leukaemia and lymphoma. I am senior lecturer in Pathology at the University of Manchester and Consultant Haematopathologist at Manchester Royal Infirmary. I am Head of Service for Greater Manchester and Cheshire Haematological Malignancy Diagnostics, which provides an integrated diagnostic service, including molecular diagnostics, in leukaemia and lymphoma for the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Cancer Network.

 

Publications

2012

  • Byers R, Hornick JL, Tholouli E, Kutok J, J Rodig S. (2012). Detection of IDH1 R132H mutation in acute myeloid leukemia by mutation-specific immunohistochemistry. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol, 20(1), 37-40. eScholarID:143835 | DOI:10.1097/PAI.0b013e31822c132e

2011

  • Byers RJ, Currie T, Tholouli E, Rodig SJ, Kutok JL. (2011). MSI2 protein expression predicts unfavorable outcome in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood, eScholarID:128030 | DOI:10.1182/blood-2011-04-346767
  • Oliveira-Cunha M, Byers RJ, Siriwardena AK. (2011). Poly(A) RT-PCR measurement of diagnostic genes in pancreatic juice in pancreatic cancer. Br J Cancer, 104(3), 514-519. eScholarID:143840 | DOI:10.1038/sj.bjc.6606047
  • Hitchman E, Hodgkinson C, Roberts D, Ashton G, Yunus Z, Byers R, Ward T, Womack C, Dive C. (2011). Effect of prolonged formalin fixation on immunohistochemical staining for the proliferation marker Ki67. Histopathology, 59(6), 1261-1263. eScholarID:143846

2008

  • Byers RJ, Sakhinia E, Joseph P, Glennie C, Hoyland JA, Menasce L, Radford JA, Illidge TM. (2008). Clinical quantitation of immune signature in follicular lymphoma by RT-PCR-based gene expression profiling. Blood, 111( 9), eScholarID:1d18683 | DOI:10.1182/blood-2007-10-115915
  • Sweeney E, Ward T, Gray N, Womack C, Jayson G-, Hughes A, Dive C, Byers RJ. (2008). Quantitative multiplexed quantum dot immunohistochemistry. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 374( 2), eScholarID:1d19949 | DOI:10.1016/j.bbrc.2008.06.127

2006

  • Sakhinia E, Farahangpour M, Tholouli E, Liu Yin J, Hoyland JA, Byers RJ, Byers RJ. (2006). Real-time PCR comparison of gene expression profiles in parallel bone marrow and peripheral blood samples in acute myeloid leukaemia. J Clin Pathol, eScholarID:1d13017

2005

  • Sakhinia E, Faranghpour M, Liu Yin J, Brady G, Hoyland JA, Byers RJ. (2005). Routine expression profiling of microarray gene signatures in acute leukaemia by real-time PCR of human bone marrow. Br J Haematol, 130( 2), 233-48. eScholarID:1d12041

2004

  • Byers RJ, Roebuck J, Sakhinia E, Hoyland JA. (2004). PolyA PCR amplification of cDNA from RNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. Diagn Mol Pathol, 13( 3), 144-50. eScholarID:1d13157
  • Das, I, Craig, C, Funahashi, Y, Jung, K, Kim, T, Byers, RJ, Weng, A, Kutok, J, Aster, J, Kitajewski, J. (2004). Notch oncoproteins depend on gamma-secretase/presenilin activity for processing and function. J Biol Chem, 279( 29), 30771-80. eScholarID:1d30177

2002

  • Hasan J, Byers RJ, Jayson G-. (2002). Intra-tumoural microvessel density in human solid tumours. British Journal Of Cancer, 86, eScholarID:1d25112

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