Dr Caitlin Thompson

Biography

Caitlin Thompson is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Clinical Sciences Department at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine where she currently holds a strategic post funded by the Pandemic Institute. Her research focuses on advancing the development of prototype diagnostic tests for both current and emerging infectious threats. Caitlins primary area of expertise lies in the lateral flow test diagnostic pipeline, with an emphasis on high-consequence pathogens that pose significant public health risks.

Her work involves a multidisciplinary approach to diagnostic innovation, including antigen design, antibody discovery and evaluation, and the production of lateral flow assays. The focus of this work is to develop robust, accessible, and rapid diagnostic tools that can be deployed in both resource-limited and high-risk environments.

Most recently, Caitlin designed and developed the first antigen-targeting lateral flow test for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus. In addition to her work on Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus, she is involved in a number of ongoing projects targeting other high-consequence viruses, including lassa virus, MERS-CoV, rift valley fever, and hantavirus. These projects focus on improving diagnostic capabilities and ensuring that we are prepared for future pandemics and emerging viral threats.

She is a part of the Pandemic Sciences Internal Scientific Advisory Panel and a member of the National Institute for Heath and Care Research Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging Zoonotic Infections.

 

Selected research publications

Development and evaluation of an antigen targeting lateral flow test for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever – Journal: eBioMedicine – Published: 20th November 2024

Optimization of SARS-CoV-2 culture from clinical samples for clinical trial applications – Journal: mSphere – Published: 16th October 2024

Multicenter Diagnostic Evaluation of OnSite COVID-19 Rapid Test (CTK Biotech) among Symptomatic Individuals in Brazil and the United Kingdom – Journal: Microbiology spectrum – Published: 22nd May 2023

A high-resolution melt curve toolkit to identify lineage-defining SARS-CoV-2 mutations – Journal: Scientific Reports – Published: 8th March 2023

Evaluation of eight lateral flow tests for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in a vaccinated population – Journal: BMC Infectious Diseases – Published: 2nd March 2023

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