Interview with Diane Proudfoot, Chief Scientific Officer

Diane joined PlaqueTec in 2018, bringing over 25 years of cardiovascular research experience, including British Heart Foundation Fellowships at the University of Cambridge and the Babraham Institute. Her PhD from Cambridge focused on cell interactions in atherosclerosis, and she has since published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals. Her post-doctoral research investigated vascular calcification and its similarities with bone development and demonstrated that calcified particles can drive inflammation and cell death — work that directly informs PlaqueTec's science today.

We spoke with Diane about her career, her role at PlaqueTec and her work mentoring early-career scientists across the life sciences.

What does your role as Chief Scientific Officer at PlaqueTec involve?

I oversee PlaqueTec's scientific programme, ensuring the work is rigorous and critically assessed. That includes the current BIOPATTERN clinical trial — particularly the quality and consistency of blood sample processing across our hospital sites — and working closely with our data scientists to develop BioCarta, PlaqueTec's proprietary coronary biology database. I also help shape our broader scientific strategy, determining which measurements from our intracoronary blood samples will generate the most relevant data to better understand atherosclerosis pathobiology and inform patient endotyping, and identifying new drug targets.

What makes PlaqueTec's approach distinctive?

We collect blood simultaneously from locations in the coronary artery that are upstream and downstream of the disease site, from patients undergoing a coronary procedure and consenting to take part in our BIOPATTERN clinical trial. This approach is unique as it enables us to detect which proteins have elevated levels downstream of the disease site, by comparing protein levels in a reference sample taken upstream.  This coronary enrichment or ‘gradient’ is not detectable in a conventional blood sample. The data from BIOPATTERN will allow us to endotype patients based on what is happening biochemically at their disease site - the downstream/upstream coronary pair to obtain this data is PlaqueTec’s distinct innovation.

Can you summarise the main goals of the BIOPATTERN trial?

BIOPATTERN is an observational clinical study collecting intracoronary samples to identify biomolecules enriched at the surface of atherosclerotic plaques at the individual patient level. Its goals are to uncover biomarkers that enable patient endotyping, improve our understanding of atherosclerosis, and identify novel druggable targets for therapeutic development. The trial also underpins BioCarta — building a uniquely rich picture of coronary biology that we believe will be a valuable resource for the wider field.

How do collaborations support the work that PlaqueTec is doing?

We're a small team, so working alongside a variety of organisations is central to what we do. For example, a collaboration with the Flow Cytometry Facility at the Babraham Institute helped us establish in-house cell phenotyping capabilities now embedded in our routine BIOPATTERN analysis. We also have ongoing collaborations focused on specific biomarkers of interest. Our network of hospital and academic partners significantly extends our capabilities - and that's something I think is really important for PlaqueTec.

What led you to working at PlaqueTec?

I’d heard about the PlaqueTec coronary technology from the start and had been intrigued to find out more. A few years on, I learned that the initial pilot studies were successful and I was curious to find out if calcification-related proteins I'd studied in human cell culture would be enriched at the disease-site in patients with cardiovascular disease. That curiosity led me to engage with PlaqueTec in a collaboration to investigate calcification-related pathways, then into a broader leadership role with the aim of translating the knowledge gained from PlaqueTec’s coronary data to help people suffering with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease - such a common and varied condition affecting so many people worldwide.

Aside from your role as CSO at PlaqueTec, can you tell us a bit more about your role as a mentor to others working in the field?

Early on in my career I had some very kind mentors and I’m happy to take on that role for others where I can. I've enjoyed supporting early-career scientists navigating their options - especially those without easy access to science career advice. I recently joined the mentorship programme at the Babraham Research Campus, and I'm always happy to chat with younger scientists within and outside of Cambridge, if my experience could be helpful.