Graham Taylor's Biography

Graham Taylor, Professor, Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine

Following an MRC postdoctoral fellowship he joined the University Department of Haematology in Manchester in 1988 and developed a PCR method to detect HIV infection in haemophilia. In 1989 he established the Regional Molecular Genetics Service based in Leeds. In this setting he developed and published the first use of microsatellites for genetic diagnosis, the first report of genetic diagnosis from foetal necropsy material, the first use of automated fluorescent fragment analysis for genetic diagnosis and numerous other initiatives in the area of molecular genetics and pathology. In the field of mutation detection he developed a safer modification of the chemical cleavage of mismatch method and invented the MutS exonuclease cleavage method. In the field of mutation databases, he led the pilot project and is a current member of steering group for UK diagnostic mutation database DMuDB.
In 2006 led the Department of Health Funded project “New genetic diagnostic technologies for consanguineous families at risk of recessive genetic disease” and became Head of Genomic Services for Cancer Research UK, chairing the advisory committee for genome wide association (GWA) studies. The DoH project pioneered the use of autzygosity mapping and next generation sequencing for the mapping of recessive genetic disease. Whist at CR-UK led a review of CR-UK bioinformatics demand and capacity and an evaluation of Next Generation Sequencing technology as well as contributing to the Home Office Caddy Report on the use of low copy number DNA analysis methods in forensic science.
In 2009 he joined the Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Leeds University as Head of Translational Genomics. Current interests include the development of diagnostic applications of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and utilisation of the NGS variation and associated phenotypic data as a public good. The introduction of NGS into the accredited molecular genetics diagnostic laboratory in Leeds has been a great success, and is currently delivering over 65% of the total workflow. His unit has enabled substantial service improvements and cost savings as well as generating over 20 original scientific publications in since its foundation in April 2009. He serves on the editorial board of Human Mutation and on the Examiner’s board of the Royal College of Pathology, is the current chair of the Human Genome Variation Society and a state registered Clinical Scientist and chair of the UKNEQAS special advisory group for next generation sequencing.