Dr Wheeler has a background in biochemistry and microbial genomics, complemented by experience in developing machine learning algorithms for public health applications. Her work focuses on the development of screening tools for identifying DNA from emerging biological threats, establishing genomic pathogen surveillance in resource-limited settings, One Health surveillance of antimicrobial resistance, and the ethical development of artificial intelligence (AI) for health applications. She has provided expertise on machine learning for genomic pathogen surveillance for several international programs, including a world-first AI-driven One Health AMR surveillance system. She is also actively involved in public outreach and the development of governance frameworks to ensure the safe and responsible development of technologies for health improvement.
From a contaminated dish in London to saving lives on the D-Day beaches of Normandy (via dedicated scientists in Oxford and Peoria), pencillin has saved many millions of lives
Sanger researchers are harnessing the power of AI to extract new knowledge from the ever increasing flood of genomic data. The findings could transform medicine and biological understanding.
The first extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, a pathogen which is responsible for millions of bloodstream infections per year in sub-Saharan Africa, have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drug-resistance has increased in successive groups of S. Typhimurium over time. These new strains are resistant to all but one of the commonly available drugs in the DRC, with one sample showing reduced susceptibility to this final antibiotic.