Mr Hector Keun

Dr Keun is a Lecturer in Biological Chemistry in the Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Imperial College. I joined Imperial in 2001 after completing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from Oxford Univesity in Chemistry and Biochemistry. My research programme centres on the application of metabolic profiling (metabonomics/metabolomics) to toxicology and oncology. Metabonomics in medicine aims to generate biomarkers for better detection, to predict an individual’s response to treatment and identity new avenues for therapy. It is also key technology in translational research, because the methods used, such as NMR spectroscopy of extracellular fluids, are minimally invasive, non-destructive and can be applied in similar fashion to clinical investigation and experimental models. I am currently investigating the potential of metabolic profiling to improve disease management in prostate, ovarian, and gastrointestinal cancers. These clinical projects are supported by laboratory research aimed at characterizing the disease and drug-resistance phenotypes in experimental models. I am also exploring the metabolic effects of carcinogens, as part of the EU-funded CARCINOGENOMICS consortium. I have a keen interest in analytical and informatic development in metabolic profiling and am a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Chemometrics. I continue to work as an investigator in the Consortium for Metabonomic Toxicology (incl. Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Servier & Sanofi-Aventis) that has generated the largest metabonomic resource of toxicological data presently available in the world today. The main focus for the COMET group is on expanding the use of metabonomics in drug discovery & development.