Mary Alikian

A passionate and motivated clinical scientist in Genomic Medicine/Clinical Genomics. In addition to my clinical role, I take pride in leadership, education, and developing people and systems. I enjoy collaborative working, planning and setting up systematic solutions to complex problems. I find satisfaction in having an impact, influencing, and making a difference where I work.

Current

I am currently based within the Cancer Genomics section at the West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory which is the lead centre for the Central and South Genomic Laboratory Hub (C&S-GLH). This permanent role involves leading the core cancer services, both acquired and inherited, strategic planning, operational duties, R&D design and implementation, Management and Quality roles in addition to taking part in collaborative projects both at the national and international levels. Also, a lead for the NHSE CSO Knowledge Transfer Program (KTP) addressing bridging the gap between technological advances and their implementation in routine clinical services.

Employment

07.2020-present Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust & Imperial Colelge London (ICL) Principal Clincial Scientist, and Honorary Senior Lecturer. Duties: Delivery of High-Quality National Cancer Test Directory within the C&S-GLH in addition to leading cross-GLH interoperability projects.

08.2019-05.2020 Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) & Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust (RMH) & Imperial College London (ICL) Senior Program manager in Cancer Genetics, and Honorary Clinical Scientist, and Honorary Lecturer. Duties: Delivery of 4.3million CRUK Catalyst award, Day to day project and team management, communication with collaborators and event organization, KPI monitoring, media and PPI engagement management, newsletter production, software testing and user manual updates, CSG variant interpretations, CanVIG community management and updating variant classifications in CanVar-UK and ClinVar. As Clinical Scientist providing consultancy services to various NHS laboratories.

06.2017-07.2019 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) & Imperial Colelge London (ICL) Senior Clinical Scientist and Honorary Research Associate. Duties: lead the setting up of the genomics lab within Imperial as part of WLGMC, lead the return of results process, and the management of the clinical reporting team within WLGMC working on multiple sites (ICHT, RMH, RBH, and GOSH). Result interpretation, validation, and clinical report provision for the three disciplines (Rare Disease, Cancer, and HaemOnc). Managing API access, pulling data, and working within the environment. Preparation for and setting up of Genomic MDTs as part of the mainstreaming process. Participation in workshops and best practice guidance documentation. Deputy lead for genomic education and skill development within the department in addition to consulting and planning for various R&D projects. Deputy lead for Quality management in addition to leading the Haematological rare disease service provision. Operational duties such as recruitment, TAT monitoring, appraisals, health roaster management, business case development, managerial meetings, risk assessments, service audits and planning, complaint investigations, etc. In addition, supervision of MSc student projects, lecturing, and taking part in various research projects ongoing within the department and internationally.

01.2015-06.2017 Imperial College London (ICL), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) Senior Research Associate and Honorary Clinical Scientist. Duties: Actively participate in CML research and data analysis in addition to implementing state-of-the-art Next Generation sequencing (NGS) and dPCR technologies for routine genetic testing in Hematological malignancies and solid tumours. Staff and project management, Workflow management, clinical reporting, test validation, and technical troubleshooting, participation towards ISO preparation in addition to supervising students and staff training. Representing the department in international meetings and collaborating with other national and international groups.

02.2010-12.2015 Imperial College London (ICL), Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (ICHT) Research Assistant and pre-registered clinical scientist. Duties: contribute to performing MRD and molecular diagnostic tests and clinical reporting, contribute to the research carried out in the department using a wide range of molecular techniques, supervise students, data analysis and presentation, contribute in seminars and meetings and collaborate with other national and international groups.

11.2008-02.2010 Imperial College London (ICL) Research Assistant. Duties: 1st aid officer, bench work, data analysis and organization, equipment maintenance, animal work, supervising students, and collaborating with other groups.

08.2007-08.2008 Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)(BARTS) Research Assistant. Duties: bench work, data analysis, presentation and organization, scientific illustration, phlebotomist, and tissue banking coordinator.

Education

2011-2016 Imperial College London (ICL) PhD - Molecular Pathology and Genomic medicine. available via Imperial Spyral Library

2006-2007 Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) MSc Cancer Therapeutics and Molecular Pathology (merit)

2001-2005 Tishreen University, Lattakia, Syria BSc in Biochemistry (Hons) 1.1

Leadership

2024-2025 Executive MBA (Quantic School of Business and Technology)

2023-present co-chair ACGS quality sub-committee

2022-present founder of s-Test Genomics www.stestgenomics.com (NHSE CSO Knowledge Transfer Partnership Program (KTP) round 3)

Profesional Memberships

2017 Charter Management Institute (CMI)

2014 Health Care Profession Council, HCPC (former HPC)(CS19211)

2013 British Society of Medical Genetics, BSMG (former BSHG) European Society of Human Genetics, ESHG Cancer Genetics Interest Group Society of Genomics Policy and Human Genetics

2012 The European Leukemia Net (ELN)

2012 Genetics Society

2008 Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). Advanced open water diver, underwater photographer, and rescue diver

2005 Association for Amateur Astronomy (SAAA)

Publications

Book Chapters

2019 Molecular Diagnostics. Recent Technical advances in Molecular analysis. N. Presneau and M. Alikian. Chapter 2. Oxford University Press. March 2019.

2016 The Genetic basis of Haematological cancers. The genetics of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. P.C. May, J.S. Khorashad, M. ALikian, D. Perrotti and A.G. Reid. Chapter 7. Wiley Online Library. 2016, p312-359.

Guidelines

2020 Cancer Variant Interpretation Group UK (CanVIG-UK): An Exemplar National Subspecialty Multidisciplinary Network. Alice Garrett, Alison Callaway, Miranda Durkie et al; 2020. J Med Genet, 2020.

2020 Guidance for the Validation and Reporting of Whole Genome Sequencing Results for the 100,000 Genomes Project Cancer Programme. AContributors: M. ALikian, S. Deans, S. Diaz-Cano, H. Dickenson, A. Hamblin, S. Henderson, S. Hing, J. Moorhead, E. Shaw, G. Taylor, C. Turnbull, A. Wallace, N. West and C. Wragg on behalf of the NHS England Cancer Validation and Reporting Working Group. May 2018.

Reviews

2017 Molecular techniques for the personalised management of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia. M. Alikian, Robert Peter Gale, Jane F Apperley, Letizia Foroni. Biomolecular detection and quantification. 2017. 11, 4-20.

2011 Bcr-Abl1 Kinase Domain Mutations: Methodology and Clinical Evaluation. M. Alikian, G. Gerrard, P. G. Subramanian, K. Mudge, P. Foskett, J. S. Khorashad, A. C. Lim, D. Marin, D. Milojkovic, A. Reid, K. Rezvani, J. Goldman, J. Apperley, and L. Foroni. Am J Hematol, 2011.

Original Research

2021 Identification and validation of a novel pathogenic variant in GDF2 (BMP9) responsible for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia and pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. S. Balachandar, TJ. Graves, A. Shimonty, K. Kerr, J. Kilner, S. Xiao, R. Slade, M. Sroya, M. Alikian, E. Curetean, E. Thomas, VPM. McConnell, S. McKee, F. Boardman-Pretty, A. Devereau, TA. Fowler, MJ. Caulfield, EW. Alton, T. Ferguson, J. Redhead, AJ. McKnight , GA. Thomas, Genomics England Research Consortium, MA. Aldred, CL. Shovlin. Am J Med Genet A. 2021.

2021 Identification of Reduced Host Transcriptomic Signatures for Tuberculosis Disease and Digital PCR-Based Validation and Quantification. H.D. Gliddon, M. Kaforou, M. Alikian, D. Habgood-Coote, C. Zhou, T. Oni, S.T. Anderson, A.J. Brent, A.C. Crampin, B. Eley, R. Heyderman, F. Kern, P.R. Langford, T.H.M. Ottenhoff, M.L. Hibberd, N. French, V.J. Wright, H.M. Dockrell, L.J. Coin, R.J. Wilkinson, M. Levin. Front Immunol. 2021; 12: 637164.

2020 Low Grade Mosaicism in Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia Identified by Bidirectional Whole Genome Sequencing Reads Through the 100,000 Genomes Project Clinical Diagnostic Pipeline. J. M. Clarke, M. Alikian, S. Xiao et al. J Med Genet, 2020.

2019 Somatic variants in epigenetic modifiers identify persons with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukaemia less likely to respond to imatinib but not second generation tyrosine kinase-inhibitors. G. Nteliopoulos , A. Bazeos , S. Claudiani, G. Gerrard, E. Curry, R. Szydlo, M. Alikian, Z. Nikolakopoulou, H.E. Foong, S. Loaiza, J.S. Khorashad, D. Milojkovic, R.p. Gale, D. Perrotti, L. Foroni, J.F. Apperley. Haematologica 2019; 104(12): 2400–2409.

Impaired cellular and humoral immunity is a feature of Diamind-Blackfan anaemia; experience of 107 unselected cases in the United Kingdom. D. Iskander, I. Roberts, C. Rees, R. Szyldo, M. Alikian, M. Neale, Y., P. Kelleher, A. Karadimitris, J. de la Fuente. BJH 2019, p321-326.

2016 Cepheid xpert monitor platform for the confirmation of BCR-ABL1 IS conversion factors for the molecular monitoring of chronic myeloid leukaemia. G. Gerrard, H.E. Foong, K. Mudge, M. Alikian, J.F. Apperley, L. Foroni. Leuk Res. 2016 Oct;49:47-50.

Quantitative Analysis of Mutant Subclones in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Comparison of Different Methodological Approaches. S. Preuner, A. Barna, F. Frommlet, S. Czurda, B. Konstantin, M. Alikian, M.K. Polakova, T. Sacha, J. Richter, T. Lion, C. Gabriel. Int J Mol Sci. 2016 Apr 29;17(5).

NGS-assisted DNA-based digital PCR for a personalised approach to the detection and quantification of residual disease in CML patients. M. Alikian, P. Ellery, M. Forbes, G. Gerrard, D. Kasperaviciute, A. Sosinsky, M. Mueller, A. Whale, D. Milojkovic, J. Apperley, J. Huggett, L. Foroni and A.G. Reid. J Mol Diagn. 2016 Mar;18(2):176-89.

2015 PTCH1 Expression at Diagnosis Predicts Imatinib Failure in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Patients in Chronic Phase. JM Alonso-Dominguez, J. Grinfeld, M. Alikian, A. Reid, M. Daghistani, C. Hedgley, S. O´Brien, R.E. Clark, J.F. Apperley, L. Foroni, G. Gerrard. Am J Hematol. 2015 Jan:90(1): 20-6.

2013 A common novel splice variant of SLC22A1 (OCT1) is associated with impaired responses to imatinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia. J. Grinfeld, G. Gerrard, M. Alikian, JM Alonso-Dominguez , S. Ale, M. Valgañon, G. Nteliopoulos, D. White, D. Marin, C. Hedgley, S. O’Brien, R.E. Clark, J.M. Goldman, D. Milojkovic, J.F. Apperley, L. Foroni. Br J Haematol. 2013 Dec:163(5):631-9.

Bcr-Abl1 Compound Mutations in Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor-Resistant Cml: Frequency and Clonal Relationships. J. S. Khorashad, T. W. Kelley, P. Szankasi, C. C. Mason, S. Soverini, L. T. Adrian, C. A. Eide, M. S. Zabriskie, T. Lange, J. C. Estrada, A. D. Pomicter, A. M. Eiring, I. L. Kraft, D. J. Anderson, Z. Gu, M. Alikian, A. G. Reid, L. Foroni, D. Marin, B. J. Druker, T. O’Hare, and M. W. Deininger. Blood, 121 (2013), 489-98.

2012 Fast-Mode Duplex Qpcr for Bcr-Abl1 Molecular Monitoring: Innovation, Automation, and Harmonization. G. Gerrard, K. Mudge, P. Foskett, D. Stevens, M. Alikian, H. E. White, N. C. Cross, J. Apperley, and L. Foroni. Am J Hematol, 87 (2012), 717-20.

2010 A Novel Pyrazolo[1,5-a]Pyrimidine Is a Potent Inhibitor of Cyclin-Dependent Protein Kinases 1, 2, and 9, Which Demonstrates Antitumor Effects in Human Tumor Xenografts Following Oral Administration. D. A. Heathcote, H. Patel, S. H. Kroll, P. Hazel, M. Periyasamy, M. Alikian, S. K. Kanneganti, A. S. Jogalekar, B. Scheiper, M. Barbazanges, A. Blum, J. Brackow, A. Siwicka, R. D. Pace, M. J. Fuchter, J. P. Snyder, D. C. Liotta, P. S. Freemont, E. O. Aboagye, R. C. Coombes, A. G. Barrett, and S. Ali. J Med Chem, 53 (2010), 8508-22.

2008 WTX is rarely mutated in acute myeloid leukemia. C.OWEN, P. VIRAPPANE, M. Alikian, I. STASEVICH, K. SUMMERS, D. LILLINGTON, D. BONNET, A. BURNETT, K. MILLS, A.T. LISTER, & J. FITZGIBBON. Haematologica, 93 (2008), 947-8.

Skills and Experties

Technical skills

Computational Skills

Graphical Skills

Management & Leadership Expertise

Lecturing Experience

Haematology BSc course – Imperial College London.     since 2015

MSc Genomic Medicine – Imperial College London.     since 2017

MSc Human Genetics – Imperial College London.     since 2018

dPCR 3 day course – EMBL.     (217-2018. discontinued and merged with other courses)

Pre-medical course – Cambridge Unibersity.     since 2021

Exam paper marking for various BSc and MSc modules

Student Supervision

Supervised a range of students to complete their projects for various courses including MSc Human Molecular genetics, MSc Molecular medicine, MSc Genomic Medicine, MRes in cancer Biology, Erasmus program, BSc Biomedical Sciences, Trainee MDs, STPs, and clinical scientists, etc

Public Engagement

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Ambassador Research dissemination and public education through commercial videos and webinars prepared in conjugation with industry or charity bodies. Science Day participation to promote the profession of healthcare science.

Charity

Leukaemia UK - Leukemia and Leuka charities merged bringing together two of the UK’s leading leukaemia and blood cancer charities to create one charity dedicated to innovative research and care for people affected by blood cancers.

DBA - Delivering support, research, and hope to the DBA community.