Ahsan Akram

Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist

Email: Ahsan.Akram@ed.ac.uk

Ahsan is currently a CRUK Clinician Scientist with an interest in the role of fibroblasts in the tumour microenvironment of non-small cell lung cancer. His group looks at the bidirectional crosstalk of fibroblasts with immune cells, as well as developing translational methods to image these in vivo. This includes both an optical high-resolution method looking at fibroblast activity and whole-body approaches for activated fibroblast presence.

Ahsan previously undertook a PhD in optical molecular imaging within the precursor to the THT and have been involved in several of the first-in-human imaging studies.

Outside of work, he excels in the fields of gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soya-free and nut-free baking and enjoy cycling.

Publications

Computational Fluorescence Suppression in Shifted Excitation Raman Spectroscopy (2023).
Jenkins N, Ehrlich K, Kufcsak A, Yerolatsitis S, Fernandes S, Young I, Hamilton K, Wood HA, Quinn T, Young V, Akram AR, Stone JM, Thomson RR, Finlayson K, Dhaliwal K, Seth S.

 

Tri-mode optical biopsy probe with fluorescence endomicroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (2022).
Wood HA, Ehrlich K, Yerolatsitis S, Kufcsák A, Quinn TM, Fernandes S, Norberg D, Jenkins NC, Young V, Young I, Hamilton K, Seth S, Akram AR,Thomson RR, Finlayson K, Dhaliwal K, Stone JM.

 

An Inhaled Galectin-3 Inhibitor in COVID-19 Pneumonitis (DEFINE): A Phase Ib/IIa Randomised Controlled Trial (2022).
Gaughan EE, Quinn TM, Mills A, Bruce A M, Antonelli J, Mackinnon A, Aslanis V, Li F, O’connor R, Boz C, Mills R, Emanuel P, Burgess M, Rinaldi G, Valanciute A, Mills B, Scholefield E, Hardisty G, Gwyer Findlay E, Parker R A, Norrie J, Dear JW, Akram AR, Koch O, Templeton K, Dockrell DH, Walsh TS, Partridge S, Humphries D, Wang-Jairaj J, Slack RJ, Schambye H, Phung D, Gravelle L, Lindmark B, Shankar-Hari M, Hirani N, Sethi T, Dhaliwal K.

 

Randomised Controlled Trial of Intravenous Nafamostat Mesylate in COVID pneumonitis: Phase 1b/2a Experimental Study to Investigate Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics (2022).
Quinn T, Gaughan E E, Bruce A, Antonelli J, O’Connor R A, Li F, McNamara S, Koch O, Mackintosh C, Dockrell D, Walsh T, Blyth K G, Church C, Schwarze J, Boz C, Valanciute A, Burgess M, Emanuel P, Mills B, Rinaldi G, Hardisty G, Mills R, Findlay EG, Jabbal S, Duncan A, Plant S, Marshal ADL, Young I, Russell K, Scholefield E, Nimmo AF, Nazarov IB, Churchill GC, McCullagh JSO, Ebrahimi KH, Ferrett C, Templeton K, Rannard S, Owen A, Moore A, Finlayson K, Shankar-Hari M, Norrie J, Parker RA, Akram AR, Anthony DC, Dear JW, Hirani N, Dhaliwal K.

 

A fluorogenic probe for granzyme B enables in-biopsy evaluation and screening of response to anticancer immunotherapies (2022).
Scott J, Mendive Tapia L, Gordon D, Barth N, Thompson E, Cheng Z, Taggart D, Kitamura T, Blas A B, Roberts E W, Juarez Jimenez J, Michel J, Piet B, de Vries I J, Verdoes M, Dawson J C, Carragher N O, O’Connor R A, Akram A R, Serrels A. Frame M C, Vendrell M.

 

Fibroblast Activation Protein specific optical imaging in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (2022).
Mathieson L, O’Connor R A, Stewart H, Shaw P, Dhaliwal K, Williams G, Megia-Fernandez A, Akram A R.

 

Understanding patient barriers and facilitators to uptake of lung screening using low dose computed tomography: a mixed methods scoping review of the current literature (2022).
Cavers D, Nelson M, Rostron J, Robb K A, Brown, L R, Campbell C, Akram A R, Dickie G, Mackean M, van Beek E J R, Sullivan F, Steele R J, Neilson A R, Weller D.

 

Optimizing the implementation of lung cancer screening in Scotland: Focus group participant perspectives in the LUNGSCOT study (2022).
Cavers D, Nelson M, Rostron J, Robb K A, Brown L R, Campbell C, Akram A R, Dickie G, Mackean M, van Beek E J R, Sullivan F, Steele R J, Neilson A R, Weller D.

 

Phototherapeutic Induction of Immunogenic Cell Death and CD8+ T Cell-Granzyme B Mediated Cytolysis in Human Lung Cancer Cells and Organoids (2022).
Valančiūtė A, Mathieson L, O’Connor R A, Scott J I, Vendrell M, Dorward D A, Akram A R, Dhaliwal K.

 

Deep Learning-Assisted Co-registration of Full-Spectral Autofluorescence Lifetime Microscopic Images with H&E-Stained Histology Images (2022).
Wang Q, Fernandes S, Williams G, Finlayson N, Akram A R, Dhaliwal K, Hopgood J R, Vallejo M.

 

Activated neutrophil fluorescent imaging technique for human lungs (2021).
Craven TH, Walton T, Akram AR, Scholefield E, McDonald N, Marshall AD, Humphries DC, Mills B, Campbell TA, Bruce A.

 

Full spectrum fluorescence lifetime imaging with 0.5 nm spectral and 50 ps temporal resolution (2021)
Williams GOS, Williams E, Finlayson N, Erdogan AT, Wang Q, Fernandes S, Akram AR, Dhaliwal K, Henderson RK, Girkin JM, Bradley M.

 

Sub millimetre flexible fibre probe for background and fluorescence free Raman spectroscopy (2021).
Yerolatsitis S, Kufcsák A, Ehrlich K, Wood HA, Fernandes S, Quinn T, Young V, Young I, Hamilton K, Akram AR.

 

Solitary pulmonary nodule imaging approaches and the role of optical fibre-based technologies (2021).

Fernandes S, Williams G, Williams E, Ehrlich K, Stone J, Finlayson N, Bradley M, Thomson RR, Akram AR, Dhaliwal K.

 

Tissue proteomic analysis identifies mechanisms and stages of immunopathology in fatal COVID-19 (2021)
Russell C D, Valanciute A, Gachanja N, Stephen J, Penrice-Randal R, Armstrong S D, Clohisey S, Wang B, Al Qsous W, Wallace W, Oniscu G, Stevens J, Harrison D J, Dhaliwal K, Hiscox J A, Baillie J K, Akram A R, David D, Lucas C D.

 

 

T cells drive negative feedback mechanisms in Cancer Associated Fibroblasts, promoting expression of co-inhibitory ligands, CD73 and IL-27 in non-small cell lung cancer (2021)
O’Connor R A, Chauhan V, Mathieson L, Titmarsh H, Koppensteiner L, Young I, Tagliavini G, Dorward D, Prost S, Dhaliwal K, Wallace W, Akram A R.

 

Activated neutrophil fluorescent imaging technique for human lungs (2021).
Craven T H, Walton T, Akram A R, Scholefield E, Mcdonald N, Marshall A D L, Humphries D C, Mills B, Campbell T A, Bruce A, Mair J, Dear J W, Newby D E, Hill A T, Walsh T S, Haslett C, Dhaliwal K.

 

Deep Learning in ex-vivo Lung Cancer Discrimination using Fluorescence Lifetime Endomicroscopic Images (2020).
Wang Q, Hopgood JR, Finlayson N, Williams GO, Fernandes S, Williams E, Akram A, Dhaliwal K, Vallejo M.

 

 

Molecular detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung through an optical fiber–based endoscope (2020).

Mills B, Megia-Fernandez A, Norberg D, Duncan S, Marshall A, Akram AR, Quinn T, Young I, Bruce AM, Scholefield E, Williams GOS, Krstajić N, Choudhary TR, Parker HE, Tanner MG, Harrington K, Wood HAC, Birks TA, Knight JC, Haslett C, Birks TA, Knight JC, Haslett C, Dhaliwal K, Bradley M, Ucuncu M, Stone JM.

 

A matrix metalloproteinase activation probe for painting human tumours (2020).
Mills B, Norberg D, Dhaliwal K, Akram AR, Bradley M, Megia-Fernandez A.

 

Enhanced avidity from a multivalent fluorescent antimicrobial peptide enables pathogen detection in a human lung model (2019).
Akram AR, Avlonitis N, Scholefield E, Vendrell M, McDonald N, Aslam T, Craven TH, Gray C, Collie DS, Fisher AJ.

 

In situ identification of Gram-negative bacteria in human lungs using a topical fluorescent peptide targeting lipid A (2018).
Akram AR, Chankeshwara SV, Scholefield E, Aslam T, McDonald N, Megia-Fernandez A, Marshall A, Mills B, Avlonitis N, Craven TH, Smyth AM, Collie DS, Gray C, Hirani N, Hill AT, Govan JR, Walsh T, Haslett C, Bradley M, Dhaliwal K.

 

Low-cost high sensitivity pulsed endomicroscopy to visualize tricolor optical signatures (2018)
Krstajić N, Mills B, Murray I, Marshall A, Norberg D, Craven TH, Emanuel P, Choudhary TR, Williams GOS, Scholefield E, Akram AR, Davie A, Hirani N, Bruce A, Moore A, Bradley M, Dhaliwal K.

 

Development of an Alveolar Transbronchial Catheter for Concurrent Fiber Optics-Based Imaging and Fluid Delivery (2018).
Knighton N, Cottle B, Dentan V, Vercauteren T, Akram A, Bruce A, Dhaliwal K, Hitchcock R.

 

Super-silent FRET sensor enables live cell imaging and flow cytometric stratification of intracellular serine protease activity in neutrophils (2018).
Craven TH, Avlonitis N, McDonald N, Walton T, Scholefield E, Akram AR, Walsh TS, Haslett C, Bradley M, Dhaliwal K.

 

In situ identification of Gram-negative bacteria in human lungs using a topical fluorescent peptide targeting lipid A (2018).
Akram AR, Chankeshwara SV, Scholefield E, Aslam T, McDonald N, Megia-Fernandez A, Marshall A, Mills B, Avlonitis N, Craven TH.

 

Optical Screening of Novel Bacteria-specific Probes on Ex Vivo Human Lung Tissue by Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (2017).
Mills B, Akram AUH, Scholefield E, Bradley M, Dhaliwal K.

 

Assessing the utility of autofluorescence-based pulmonary optical endomicroscopy to predict the malignant potential of solitary pulmonary nodules in humans (2016).
Seth S, Akram AR, McCool P, Westerfeld J, Wilson D, McLaughlin S, Dhaliwal K, Williams CK.

 

Two-color widefield fluorescence microendoscopy enables multiplexed molecular imaging in the alveolar space of human lung tissue (2016).
Krstajić N, Akram AR, Choudhary TR, McDonald N, Tanner MG, Pedretti E, Dalgarno PA, Scholefield E, Girkin JM, Moore A.

 

Optical molecular imaging of lysyl oxidase activity–detection of active fibrogenesis in human lung tissue (2015).
Aslam T, Miele A, Chankeshwara SV, Megia-Fernandez A, Michels C, Akram AR, McDonald N, Hirani N, Haslett C, Bradley M.

 

A labelled-ubiquicidin antimicrobial peptide for immediate in situ optical detection of live bacteria in human alveolar lung tissue (2015).
Akram AR, Avlonitis N, Lilienkampf A, Perez-Lopez AM, McDonald N, Chankeshwara SV, Scholefield E, Haslett C, Bradley M, Dhaliwal K.

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