Integrated Understanding of Health

Research within this theme will span the areas: Ageing; Diet and Health; Pharmaceuticals and Regenerative Biology.

MIBTP will fund 5 studentships in these areas each year.

Our Topics

Ageing Diet and Health Pharmaceuticals Regenerative Biology

Ageing

Work in this area asks: what cellular, metabolic and physiological changes occur during ageing and how can we mitigate against them? Researchers within this topic use a breadth of behavioural, physiological, molecular, biochemical and computational methods to address these questions.

Current Projects

Aston

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Characterising caution in ageing and decision making	Dr Craig Hedge
3D Biomaterials for a Blood Brain Barrier Vasculature Model	Dr David Jenkins
Investigating Matrix Regulation of Extracellular Vesicle Cargo Signalling	Dr Emma Shepherd
Exploring the role of oxysterols and mitochondrial metabolism in astrocyte reactivity	Dr Irundika Dias
Fixing breaks in the brain: Exploring the protective role of DNA repair pathways in the central nervous system	Dr John Reynolds
Investigating the Molecular Mechanisms of Preeclampsia-Induced Cardiovascular Dysfunction Using in vitro Microtissue Models	Dr Keqing Wang
Exploring the Role of a Novel AMPK Activator in Diabetic Wound Repair: Development of a Controlled-Release Dermal Gel	Dr Mandeep Kaur Marwah
How do healthy cells age - a worm’s tale of exploration into the decline of DNA replication and the structure of the nuclear membrane	Dr Rebecca M Jones
Investigating the Impact of Microplastics on Pregnancy Complications	Dr Shakil Ahmad
DNA damage and trophoblasts: An undiscovered story	Dr Stephane Gross
Novel functions of epigenetic modifiers KMT2C/KMT2D (MLL3/MLL4) on gene expression and genomic stability	Dr Theo Kantidakis
Decoding the Impact of Stress Response on Neurodegeneration	Dr Zita Balklava

Birmingham

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
How Cell Death Fuels Growth	Dr Yun Fan
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of central nervous system regeneration	Professor Alicia Hidalgo
Unveiling the Role of Air Pollution in Accelerating Brain Aging	Dr Zhiling Guo
Cognitive deficits and accelerated brain ageing in older adults with undiagnosed sleep apnoea and pulmonary dysfunctions	Dr Magdalena Chechlacz
Robust and reproducible oscillatory phenotypes of brain function from Optically Pumped Magnetometers	Dr Andrew Quinn
Exploring the biological relevance of extracellular vesicle trafficking in health and disease	Dr Martin Whitham
In vitro and in vivo vascular response to exercise-induced changes in blood flow	Professor Sam Lucas
The gut-brain-axis: how does the gut microbiota affect the function of the brain?	Professor Zubair Ahmed
Investigating the homeostatic landscape of autophagy in cell survival using human pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal and cerebral organoid platforms	Dr Sovan Sarkar
Pneumococcal colonisation and microbiota interactions in the ageing airway	Dr David Cleary
Developing and applying computational methods to study ageing and cellular rejuvenation	Professor Joao Pedro Magalhaes
Integrative bioinformatics approaches for the identification of novel targets and therapeutics for cell cycle changes and cell death	Dr Deena Gendoo
Investigating novel PBF interactions in signal transduction	Dr Vicki Smith
How do anti-lipopolysaccharide antibodies inhibit or enhance protection against infection?	Professor Adam Cunningham
An integrated biomanufactory and testing platform for studying advanced biosystems in non-ideal environments	Dr Alexandra Iordachescu
Hybrid Foldamer-Polymer Scaffolds as Novel Biomaterials for Wound Healing Applications	Dr Sarah Pike
Articular Cartilage: ageing, hydration and energetics	Dr Daniel Espino
Understanding the physiological and metabolic health effects of Vortex Wave Circulation therapy	Professor Leigh Breen

Coventry

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
The Effects of Capsaicinoids on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism and Function: A Translational Study from Cells to Humans	Dr Lucas Guimaraes Ferreira
Molecular signatures of healthy ageing in long-lived rodents	Dr Mark Harrison
The role of exercise mimetics on proteostasis function and dysfunction in skeletal muscle	Dr Mark C Turner
Mechanisms responsible for compensatory eating behaviours following cold water immersion	Professor David Broom

Harper Adams Leicester

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Structure and dynamics of the intrinsically disordered regions of the RNA binding protein Sam68: implication for RNA binding and phosphorylation	Professor Cyril Dominguez
Mechanisms of cold-dependent neuroprotection	Professor Ian Eperon
Developing novel proximity-inducing molecules to modulate post-translational modifications	Dr James T Hodgkinson
Evaluating the impact of chemically reactive metabolites in premature ageing	Dr Richard Hopkinson
Ameliorating ageing, age-related diseases and cancer by targeting senescence and the p53 pathway	Professor Salvador Macip
The Epigenetic Basis of Longevity: Calorie Restriction and Ageing in Nasonia vitripennis	Professor Eamonn Mallon
Obtaining insights into how a signalling hub protein Ras activates multiple effectors	Dr Kayoko Tanaka
Unravelling age-related gene expression dysregulation through system biology and mathematical modelling	Dr Michael Tellier
Understanding the onset and trajectory of age-related difficulties in reading: A visual and cognitive perspective	Dr Kayleigh Warrington

Warwick

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Ageing: how to live 5x longer	Dr Andre Pires da Silva
Investigating brain energy metabolism with mass spectrometry	Professor Bruno Frenguelli
Pharmacological protection against a bad diet: a Drosophila model	Dr Cathy Slack
Will the drugs work? Investigating the molecular basis for variability in the responses to anti-ageing interventions	Dr Cathy Slack
Investigating sex-based differences in ageing	Dr Cathy Slack
Dissecting the mechanism of clathrin-coated vesicle formation	Professor Corinne Smith
Investigating the interplay of cell and collagen matrix mechanics in the pathogenesis of the hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome	Dr Darius Koester
Developmental genetics and transcriptional profiling of craniofacial development	Professor Georgy Koentges
Molecular mechanisms of selective autophagy during ageing	Professor Ioannis Nezis
Establishing TimeTeller as a tool for human chronotyping	Dr Robert Dallmann

Research considered directly relevant to Ageing includes:

Research on the molecular and cellular basis of ageing (in humans, animals and models systems e.g. yeast, not plants)
- Cell senescence, replicative senescence; the mechanisms and regulation of apoptosis/programmed cell death; telomeres, telomere biology, maintenance and regulation; telomerase (including structure)
- Mechanisms and effects of oxidative stress, free radical damage, reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage and repair associated with ageing; mitochondria function and activity directly relevant to ageing (oxidative stress, superoxide release etc.)
- Werners and Progeria (accelerated models of ageing)
- The genetic control of ageing, including understanding the primary mechanisms of ageing and the underlying genetic determinants of life span, longevity and reproduction potential; individual genetic and epigenetic variation
Biomarkers of ageing (also potential biomarkers of health across the lifecourse)
Cell, tissue and systems biology in ageing and health across the lifecourse
- Maintenance and regulation of homeostasis, homeostatic mechanisms in relation to maintaining health through life and understanding the processes leading to frailty
- Effectiveness of the elderly immune system
- Muscle-tendon-skeletal system including locomotion, balance, metabolism and effects of physical activity; also includes ageing muscle biology and dysfunction (hypertrophy and sarcopenia, but NOT sports science/injury); muscle satellite cells and regeneration; maintenance of bone health and age-related bone loss (NOT osteoporosis).
- Reactive oxygen species as propagators of tissue ageing, effects of free radicals, mitochondria biology (see above)
Diet and health
- The effect of ageing on responses to dietary constituents, for example, altered nutritional need to maintain physiological function
- Altered food choice with age
- Impact of diet on maintaining health during ageing, e.g. influence of nutrients on the health (and potential protective effects) of intestinal/gut, cardio-vascular, neural, musculoskeletal and other physiological systems
- Dietary/calorie restriction effect on ageing/lifespan
- Anti-oxidants, exposure to free radicals
Relevant aspects neuroscience – age-related progressive decline in cognitive function and the cellular mechanisms associated with this, e.g.
- Generic mechanisms of non-disease-associated neurodegeneration, (but NOT studies of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimers, dementia, Parkinsons*); neuronal damage and repair, neurogenesis; fundamental prion biology in relation to understanding normal ageing (but NOT including studies on TSE/BSE/Scrapie transmission and disease)
- Preservation/maintenance of cognitive function with age
- Age-related cognitive dysfunction and decline, long-term memory studies (NOT visual learning/behaviour unless looking at changes in learning ability with age)
- Sleep (specific to ageing)
Amyloidosis (the accumulation of misfolded proteins deposits in a tissue/organ which occurs during the normal ageing process). Includes mechanisms and function of amyloid fibrils and plaque formation (NOT studies of specific clinical conditions/diseases and structure/biophysical studies)
Changes in angiogenesis during the normal ageing process – the growth of new blood vessels/vasculature associated with repair mechanisms of damaged tissue and wound healing, and in response to physical activity (NOT that associated for clinical conditions, diseases or tumour biology)
Stem cells and tissue engineering – only include studies that are relevant to ageing and involve tissue regeneration or transplantation e.g. bone, liver, wound healing (but NOT chronic wounds/ulceration), nerve regeneration
Relevant developmental biology but only if it includes some life course studies, i.e. developmental origins of optimal health. May include in utero studies, the mechanisms and effects of developmental factors and early life exposures on health during ageing (e.g. maternal influences, fetal or nutritional programming, imprinted genes)

Diet and Health

Researchers in this topic address questions such as: how can we regulate food intake and obesity using humans and model organisms to understand the regulation of appetitive behaviour and satiety at cellular, molecular and cognitive levels.

Current Projects

Aston

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Developing psychobiological approaches to predict the acceptance and rejection of cultivated meat	Dr Jason Thomas

Birmingham

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Development of novel nanomaterials for encapsulation and delivery of small molecules into cells.	Dr Nikolas J Hodges
Using an experimental platform to identify biological mechanisms linking nutrition to brain health and well-being	Professor Suzanne Higgs
Exploring the biological relevance of extracellular vesicle trafficking in health and disease	Dr Martin Whitham
In vitro and in vivo vascular response to exercise-induced changes in blood flow	Professor Sam Lucas
De-Stressing the brain’: Understanding the impact of nutrition on cognitive and cerebral function duringmental stress	Dr Catarina Rendeiro
The gut-brain-axis: how does the gut microbiota affect the function of the brain?	Professor Zubair Ahmed
How does diet affect cardiac contractility?	Professor Katja Gehmlich
Understanding the physiological and metabolic health effects of Vortex Wave Circulation therapy	Professor Leigh Breen

Coventry

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
The pregnant brain and the effects of high fat diet	Dr Isadora Clivatti Furigo
The Effects of Capsaicinoids on Skeletal Muscle Metabolism and Function: A Translational Study from Cells to Humans	Dr Lucas Guimaraes Ferreira
Investigating the Impact of Fatty Acids on FTO Activity and RNA Methylation in Hypoxic Cardiomyocytes	Dr Michael Dodd
The role of extracellular vesicles in glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in humans	Dr Richard Mackenzie
Mechanisms responsible for compensatory eating behaviours following cold water immersion	Professor David Broom

Harper Adams

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
The utilization of protein extracts from brewery spent grain and spent yeast in the formulation of protein blends for 3-D printed food products	Dr Claire Munialo

Leicester

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Evaluating the impact of chemically reactive metabolites in premature ageing	Dr Richard Hopkinson
The Epigenetic Basis of Longevity: Calorie Restriction and Ageing in Nasonia vitripennis	Professor Eamonn Mallon
Establishing black soldier flies as an efficient biodegrading agent	Professor Ezio Rosato

Warwick

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Epigenetics: you are what your mother smelled	Dr Andre Pires da Silva
Pharmacological protection against a bad diet: a Drosophila model	Dr Cathy Slack
Will the drugs work? Investigating the molecular basis for variability in the responses to anti-ageing interventions	Dr Cathy Slack
Investigating sex-based differences in ageing	Dr Cathy Slack
Dissecting the mechanism of clathrin-coated vesicle formation	Professor Corinne Smith
Investigating the use of novel nanoparticles to improve targeted drug delivery	Professor Corinne Smith
Molecular mechanisms of selective autophagy during ageing	Professor Ioannis Nezis
Functional and structural characterisation of glycosyltransferases involved in protein mannosylation	Dr Manuela Tosin
Novel Chemoenzymatic Approaches to ‘Unnatural’ Products	Dr Manuela Tosin

Includes:

The study of diet for the maintenance of human health
Includes relevant aspects of:
- Dietary components and effects (diet, digestion, absorption/uptake, nutrition, vitamins, food antigens and minerals (not synthesis)
- Gut biology and interaction (.e.g. GI tract health & transport, epithelial barrier function; mucosal immunity; commensal bacteria)
- Disease prevention through diet (e.g. antioxidants / bioactives and their protective effects; prevention of obesity and malnutrition)
- Neuroscience (gut-brain interactions, psychology, satiety, appetite, food choice, flavour, dietary effects on cognition and mental health)
- The influence of maternal diet on the developing foetus and/or future life course (e.g. through epigenetic modification; placental nutrition)
- Food applications (neutraceuticals, including probiotics and prebiotics)
- Effects of food structure, processing and modification on health-related food properties

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals related research includes the development of novel therapeutics, including antibiotics and other drugs, including those for dental purposes. It includes biomedical or pharmacological research (for example on stem cells, ageing, neuropathological and other human illnesses) only where the research demonstrates a clear aim of relevance to the pharmaceutical industry.

Current Projects

Aston

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Bioprinting soft matrices to reveal integrin-dependent adhesion processing	Dr Emma Shepherd
Exploring the Role of a Novel AMPK Activator in Diabetic Wound Repair: Development of a Controlled-Release Dermal Gel	Dr Mandeep Kaur Marwah
Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa TgpA as a novel antimicrobial strategy	Dr Russell Collighan
The role of dynamic aquaporin-4 subcellular relocalization in regulating brain fluid homeostasis in health and disease	Professor Roslyn Bill

Birmingham

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Development of novel nanomaterials for encapsulation and delivery of small molecules into cells.	Dr Nikolas J Hodges
Unlock the Future: Engineering Biology to Sense the Impossible	Professor Tim Dafforn
Targeting the Mla Pathway: A Strategy to Combat Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria	Dr Tim Knowles
An integrated machine-learning approach to the early detection of adverse drug reactions to improve depression, anxiety, and psychosis outcomes	Dr Alan Jones
Modulation of endogenous metal ion homeostasis by redox-targeting pharmaceuticals: a bioanalytical and multi-omic study	Dr James Coverdale
Enhancing CD8+ T Cell Recruitment and Tumour Clearance via 11β-HSD1 Inhibition	Dr Rowan Hardy
Investigating novel PBF interactions in signal transduction	Dr Vicki Smith
Design of metallo coiled coil MRI contrast agents	Professor Melanie Britton
Novel Stabilisation and Delivery Materials for RNA-based Therapies	Dr Richard Moakes
Metal nanoparticles for photobiomodulation localised therapy of brain injury	Professor Zoe Pikramenou
In situ interrogation of small and novel large molecule drugs by native ambient mass spectrometry imaging	Professor Helen Cooper
New biomanufacturing technology for mRNA	Professor Owen Thomas
Comparative antibody discovery strategies for transmembrane proteins utilising styrene maleic acid lipoproteins (SMALPs) and soluble extracellular domains powered by next generation sequencing analysis	Professor Tim Dafforn

Coventry

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Tuning G protein-coupled receptor pharmacology with a novel drug design approach	Dr Giuseppe Deganutti
Targeting novel molecular mechanisms of family B G-protein-coupled receptors for drug discovery	Dr Hoor Ayub
Dynamic S-acylation of the β2-Adrenergic Receptor	Dr Jennifer Greaves

Harper Adams Leicester

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Molecular Glues as Novel Tools for Tackling Big Challenges in Human Health	Dr Richard Doveston
Developing novel proximity-inducing molecules to modulate post-translational modifications	Dr James T Hodgkinson
Structural and Functional Analysis of Copper-Transporting ATPases in MRSA: Targets for Antimicrobial Intervention	Dr Abhinav Koyamangalath Vadakkepat
Genetic engineering of bacteriophages to understand their biology and utilise in biotech applications	Dr Andrew Millard
Development of a robust, validated, non-animal derived toolbox to study the ageing immune system	Dr Harvinder Virk
Imaging the consequences of CD20 cross-linking in B cells using super-resolution microscopy (SRM) and Cryo-Electron Tomography (CryoET)	Dr Yolanda Markaki
Structural and Molecular Characterisation of Jumbo Phage SPFM10 for the Development of Phage Therapy Against Non-Typhoidal Salmonella	Dr Abhinav Koyamangalath Vadakkepat

Warwick

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Synthetic evolution of novel peptidomimetics to target snake venoms	Dr Alex Baker
Exploring Snake Venom Glycobiology for Diagnostic Applications	Dr Alex Baker
Evolution-guided engineering of bacterial natural product biosynthesis	Dr Alex Mullins
Pharmacological protection against a bad diet: a Drosophila model	Dr Cathy Slack
Will the drugs work? Investigating the molecular basis for variability in the responses to anti-ageing interventions	Dr Cathy Slack
Investigating sex-based differences in ageing	Dr Cathy Slack
Investigating the use of novel nanoparticles to improve targeted drug delivery	Professor Corinne Smith
Developmental genetics and transcriptional profiling of craniofacial development	Professor Georgy Koentges
Structural and Mechanistic Characterisation of Bacterial Natural Product Targets	Dr Lona Alkhalaf
Functional and structural characterisation of glycosyltransferases involved in protein mannosylation	Dr Manuela Tosin
Novel Chemoenzymatic Approaches to ‘Unnatural’ Products	Dr Manuela Tosin
A fragment-based approach towards novel agents against the fungal superbug Candida auris	Dr Manuela Tosin
Nanoparticles for penetrating complex polysaccharide matrices – cell walls and biofilms	Professor Miriam Gifford
Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Antimicrobial Resistance	Professor Phillip Stansfeld

Includes:

Research on drug development and delivery such as:
- identification of targets for therapeutic intervention
- analysis and regulation of specific drug targets and drug transporters
effects and interactions of drugs with cells and cell components including enzymes, receptors, drug transporters
- understanding the mechanisms of drug resistance, prevention and combating drug resistance
- technology development for drug design

Development of biomaterials for medical devises that have antimicrobial properties
Underpinning bioscience and technology development to improve bioprocessing, scaling up of manufacture of novel drugs
Technology development for replacing animal use in drug testing
Gene therapies

Regenerative Biology

This area includes projects whose driver is providing underpinning research leading to the repair, replacement or regeneration of cells, tissues, or organs, ultimately for clinical applications.

Current Projects

Aston

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Blended Hydrogel Cellular Matrices	Dr Anisa Mahomed
3D Biomaterials for a Blood Brain Barrier Vasculature Model	Dr David Jenkins
Developing an extracellular vesicle standard for use in regenerative medicine	Dr Ewan Ross
Engineering Complex Tissues: Cell-Free Protein Synthesis in 3D Bioprinted Hydrogel Matrices	Dr John Simms

Birmingham

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
How Cell Death Fuels Growth	Dr Yun Fan
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of central nervous system regeneration	Professor Alicia Hidalgo
Real-time-monitoring enabled manufacturing of a biophysiochemical 3D in vitro tissue model of the periodontium	Dr Josefine Hirschfeld
Integrative bioinformatics approaches for the identification of novel targets and therapeutics for cell cycle changes and cell death	Dr Deena Gendoo
An integrated biomanufactory and testing platform for studying advanced biosystems in non-ideal environments	Dr Alexandra Iordachescu
Hybrid Foldamer-Polymer Scaffolds as Novel Biomaterials for Wound Healing Applications	Dr Sarah Pike
Articular Cartilage: ageing, hydration and energetics	Dr Daniel Espino
Comparative antibody discovery strategies for transmembrane proteins utilising styrene maleic acid lipoproteins (SMALPs) and soluble extracellular domains powered by next generation sequencing analysis	Professor Tim Dafforn

Coventry Harper Adams Leicester

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Understanding centriole assembly in diverse human cells using advanced imaging and genomics	Dr Robert Mahen
Epigenetics of early human development: From molecular mechanisms to regenerative medicine	Dr Yolanda Markaki
Transgenerational epigenetic consequences of pollution exposure	Dr Hollie Marshall

Warwick

Project Title	Primary Supervisor
Epigenetics of early human placenta and embryo development: From molecular mechanisms to regenerative medicine	Dr Andrew Nelson
Investigating the interplay of cell and collagen matrix mechanics in the pathogenesis of the hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome	Dr Darius Koester
Patterning the C. elegans embryo	Dr Erik Griffin
Plasma membrane organisation in tissue formation and patterning	Dr Falk Schneider
Developmental genetics and transcriptional profiling of craniofacial development	Professor Georgy Koentges
Understanding early tissue formation in the embryo and outside mimicking developmental programmes	Dr Michael Smutny
Building the first heart vessel	Professor Timothy Saunders

Includes:

Research on stem cells and their reprogramming where they are used for the purpose of tissue engineering or regeneration
All tissue engineering research, including the development of 3D cell culture, tissue scaffolds & matrices, and the maintenance of tissue structure and function, and the generation of tissue models for research or pharmaceutical testing
Growth factors and regulatory molecules involved in cellular communication that determine cell fate and differentiation, where the aim of the research is to develop an understanding of techniques for regenerative medicine
The development of biomaterials or biomimetics; artificially engineered biological materials or units designed to replace natural human biological materials or units; development of biodegradable polymers, soluble molecules and related materials
Development and application of improved wound healing technology, including fundamental studies on understanding wound healing
Fundamental studies on understanding nerve regeneration
Underpinning research that will enable the generation of patient-specific cell types (e.g. derivation of iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells)

Research Departments

Our Topics

Ageing

Current Projects

Diet and Health

Current Projects

Pharmaceuticals

Current Projects

Regenerative Biology

Current Projects

Research Departments

Aston University

University of Birmingham

Coventry University

University of Leicester

University of Warwick