Rico Shergill is a Ph. D. student working on the development of an electrochemical biosensor able to detect signalling molecules in a gastrointestinal matrix. He works in Professor Patel’s lab, with supervision from Dr M. Yeoman.

His introduction to the field of electrochemical sensors occurred during a project in the final year of his chemistry degree. The project was at the University of Brighton where he worked under Prof Patel, studying the detection of falsified clopidogrel in the presence of excipients using voltammetry.

Gastrointestinal disorders are a collection of dysfunction symptoms; increased fecal urgency, frequency, and waking up at night. This type of incontinence affects up to 12% of the population, disproportionately affecting women and the elderly. Despite the financial burden and decreased quality of life, pharmacological treatment is often ineffective or causes severe side effects in an already vulnerable population group. There is currently no gold standard diagnostic test, highlighting the need for a portable and non-invasive diagnostic device that can use these molecules as biomarkers and determine whether a patient would benefit from pharmacological treatment.

Rico graduated with an 1st Class Chemistry degree from the University of Brighton in 2020.