Lee Curtin, PhD
Bioinformatician
Bio
Dr. Curtin joined the lab as a Research Trainee in April 2016 and became a Research Collaborator in January 2017, during his Ph.D. studies. He has since joined full-time as a Bioinformatician. He graduated with a Masters of Mathematics from the University of York, UK, and completed his Ph.D. in Mathematical Medicine and Biology at the University of Nottingham, UK in 2019.
Lee’s data-driven work is focused on characterizing heterogeneity within and between patients through transcriptomics, genetics, and imaging. He has used deconvolution methods to infer cell populations present in bulk RNA-Seq, used pretreatment imaging and demographic information to determine survival implications for patients with cystic glioblastoma, and carried out fractal analyses to determine prognosistic implications of tumor shape on MRI.
Lee is an advocate for minimal mathematical models that can be applied to gain clinical insight, with the long-term goal of guiding clinical trials, and in turn improving patient survival. Lee has worked on a partial differential equation model – the Proliferation Invasion Hypoxia Necrosis Angiogenesis (PIHNA) model, to suggest mechanistic explanations to clinically observed phenomena.
Within our image-localized biopsy protocol, Lee leads the research sample collection in the operating room. He’s been to over 100 surgeries and collected over 500 samples so far.
Lee is also involved in outreach and education. He arranges our external speakers, helps keep this website in order, and is a member of our Education Committee.