Life in the Lab

What can a few drops of blood tell you about a newborn? Quite a lot. Bev Hird breaks down how newborn screening saves lives, the ethics of early testing, and her mission to ensure no baby falls through the cracks.

When a mystery drug shows up in Birmingham, Alex Lawson and his lab are on the case. In this episode, Alex walks us through clinical toxicology—from overdose detection to nitazenes and contaminated vapes, and why his job sometimes saves lives.

From GOSH to West Africa, Elaine Cloutman-Green is fighting infections with creativity and curiosity. She talks catheters, cleaning standards, genome sequencing, and how Azithromycin might save babies’ lives. Oh, and yes, she’s worked on a project called Mordor.

Dr. Mayur Patel wears many hats: chemical pathologist, digital innovator, and hormone enthusiast. Tune in for a whirlwind tour through his career path, from endocrinology nerd to changing A&E chest pain pathways through troponin testing and IT upgrades.

Labs aren’t exactly known for being eco-friendly… but Jyoti Shetye is changing that. From reducing stock days through team “league games” to closing labs without layoffs, she shares how she brought sustainability to the forefront of healthcare labs in the UAE.

Lab values aren't always neutral. Clinical chemist Dr. Octavia Peck Palmer takes us inside her mission to tackle health disparities and systemic bias in diagnostic testing—and shares how her sepsis research turned into a movement for equity in laboratory medicine.

Professor Tahir Pillay proves that you don’t have to choose between art and science. In this episode, he unpacks his work on futuristic antibodies (nanobodies!), his creative alter ego DJ Kemp, and why cross-disciplinary science is the future.

Meet David Gaze, a self-confessed “Mr. Troponins” of the lab world. From childhood fascination with the heart to revolutionising heart attack diagnostics, David walks us through the ups, downs, and lifesaving science of cardiac biomarkers—and why he once helped test a gorilla.

What happens when creative science meets real-world patient care? Clinical scientist Phillip Monaghan shares how his love for biochemistry and redox enzymes led to a career-changing lives—from cortisol testing breakthroughs to pioneering cancer biomarkers. Plus, the test that might one day replace scans.

In this premiere episode of Life in the Lab, Consultant Clinical Scientist Katy Heaney takes us behind the scenes of the UK’s COVID-19 response—from childhood dreams with a toy syringe to leading national strategies for rapid testing. Katy shares her journey into pathology, the challenges of pioneering Point of Care Testing, and what it really means to lead through crisis. Inspiring, personal, and full of hard-won insights, this is a must-listen for anyone curious about the hidden world of healthcare science.