IBMS Congress 2025 Posters Prize winners
Every Congress, the Institute of Biomedical Science invites members to create posters to showcase to delegates in the exhibition in Hall 4. Poster presenters are guaranteed a lively, receptive and well-informed audience, and an opportunity to make a real contribution to the profession’s development and direction. Everyone who is chosen to present receives free admission on the day and the opportunity to win a cash prize.
IBMS Congress Posters Prize winners 2025
Haematology
Niloofar Amirian - BET Bromodomain Inhibition: a new strategy for immunotherapy in MPN
Genomics and Molecular
Nina Zila - Exploring Tenascin-C in MAPKi resistance in BRAFV600-mutant melanoma
Education and Training
Nicole Valentine - Deconstructing elisa: a co-creation designed booklet for biomedical students
Transfusion
Helen Thom - Here to RCI Assist you
Cytopathology
Rachel Calvin - Evaluating Cervical Cancer Screening relevance in a Northern Ireland population
Medical Microbiology
Karin Bacova - Oral antibiotic treatment for infective endocarditis: an in-vitro study
Cellular Pathology
Stefanie Kancz - APOBEC3B in Premalignant and Malignant Skin Tumours: An Immunohistochemical Profile
Virology
Brian Keogan - First human case of monkeypox virus clade Ia outside Africa.
Quality
Richard Hardy - Optimising Specimen Reception with Performance Partnership and Continuous Improvement
Chemistry
Richard Bell - Using a neonatal phototherapy light to breakdown icteric interference.
Immunology
Lewis Wickham - Cerebrospinal fluid kappa free light chains in multiple sclerosis diagnosis
POCT
Anaya Desai - Risk-based Streamlining of IQC Frequency for Glucose and Ketone Meters
Rachel Calvin, Almac Pharmaceuticals, pictured in the headline image, said:
Winning this award has been a pivotal moment in both my academic and professional journey. My poster aimed to shed light on the limited protection provided by current HPV vaccines, and to emphasise the rising prevalence of non-vaccine-covered high-risk genotypes—specifically HPV 52. While HPV 52 is not directly responsible for cervical cancer, it plays a significant role in facilitating the oncogenic potential of already established high-risk genotypes such as HPV 16 and 18.
As a recent graduate of the Biomedical Science DPP (Pathology) program, I found this research both intellectually stimulating and deeply rewarding. I am eager to build on this foundation and contribute further to biomedical research, with the ultimate goal of advancing patient care and enhancing society’s understanding of critical health issues.
Karin Bacova, Manchester Royal Infirmary, said:
Our study evaluated the efficacy of oral antibiotics in treating infective endocarditis, showing high-susceptibility potential and viability to be used clinically. Winning this award is a great honour and makes me super proud to contribute to research that has real clinical impact and improves patient care.
Helen Thom, NHS Blood & Transplant, said:
Our poster ‘Here to RCI Assist you’ was submitted to IBMS Congress 2025 and won the prize for best poster in the Transfusion Science category. The poster gives an overview of the work on the development and deployment of RCI Assist, a referral support tool for hospital transfusion laboratory staff to use to improve confidence and help standardise referrals to RCI.
This work is a collaborative piece between RCI, Transfusion 2024 and NHSBT Digital Learning, and presenting at Congress was a great opportunity to showcase the work.”
Congratulations to all the prize recipients. We wish all the winners continued success as they contribute to advancements in the field and make a lasting impact on the lives of patients and the scientific community.
