About James Kinross

Dr. James Kinross is a consultant colorectal surgeon, at St. Mary's Hospital London. His clinical interests are in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of colorectal cancer. He also has an interest in surgical nutrition and modulation of the gut microbiota by pro and prebiotics for improved operative outcomes. He was trained in Northwest London, and he was an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Surgery and an Ethicon Laparoscopic Fellow in Colorectal Surgery. He was awarded a Royal College of Surgeons of England training fellowship during his PhD and he was funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences as an early stage lecturer. He is a visiting Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. He is currently funded by Bowel and Cancer research and the Imperial BRC.

He performs translational research into computational and systems biology in surgery. Specifically, he is involved in clinical trials using intra-operative mass spectrometry (known as Real-time Electrospray Ionisation Mass Spectrometry or REIMS) for improving precision in the surgical treatment of colorectal cancer. This technology is also known as the iknife, and he is working on both surgical and endoscopic applications. Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) is complimentary to REIMS and provides novel insights into tumour biology and tumour phenotypes. Dr. Kinross's research is establishing if metabonomic approaches such as these can be used for stratifying the treatment of both early and advanced cancers.

 Dr. Kinross also studies the role of the gut microbiome in the aetiology of colon cancer, Crohn's disease and obesity. This is because intestinal inflammation is a common pathway across all conditions. He is performing clinical research at Imperial College London and at the Royal Marsden Hospital. The aim is to develop novel biomarkers for the early detection of bowel cancer, and to develop novel therapies for its treatment based on a deeper understanding of how the microbiota that reside in the gut influence tumour biology and the response of cancer to treatment. As part of this I collaborate internationally with researchers in the USA and across Europe.

 Finally, he has a separate interest in the educational application of virtual worlds and gaming technologies for surgical and medical education. He works as part of a team that is building next generation, immersive simulators for use in major incidents and trauma training.