Biography

2019 - present

Senior Lecturer in Medical Science, School of Medicine, Keele University

2016 - 2019

Lecturer in Medical Science, School of Medicine, Keele University

2018 – present

Deputy Director of the ​Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Shropshire

2016 – present

Director of the Masters in Medical Science, Postgraduate Medicine, Keele

2013 – 2016

Research Fellow (80% FTE), Institute for Science, Technology and Medicine (ISTM), University of Keele (based at the RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital)

2013 – 2016

Teaching Fellow (20% FTE), Postgraduate Medicine, University of Keele

2011

Visiting Postdoctoral Researcher: Harvard University, Boston Children’s Hospital

2006 – 2013

Manager of the Keele University Mass Spectrometry Facility, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Shropshire

2005 – 2013

Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, Shropshire

2002 – 2005 

Ph.D.; Biochemistry (EPSRC Industrial CASE award), Prof Glenn Morris’ lab, University of Wales, Wrexham, UK

1999 – 2002 

B.Sc. Honours; Biomolecular Science, University of Wales, Bangor, UK

1998 – 1999 

Research Assistant, Prof Mike Doenhoff’s Laboratory, University of Wales, 

Research and scholarship

Research theme: Cardio-Respiratory, Neuroscience & Neurology

My research group is based at the Wolfson Centre for Inherited Neuromuscular Disease (RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital), where we focus on several of the most severe muscle-wasting diseases, including muscular dystrophy, and the childhood form of motor neuron disease, spinal muscular atrophy. By combining the use of cutting edge proteomics and bioinformatics tools with biochemical approaches our aim is to understand disease mechanisms and to identify novel proteins and pathways that can be modulated by drug treatment.

External collaborators include:

  • Prof Tom Gillingwater (Edinburgh University, UK)
  • Prof Kevin Talbot (Oxford University, UK)
  • Dr Gillian Hunter (Glasgow Caledonian University)
  • Dr Tom Wishart (The Roslin Institute, Edinburgh)
  • Dr Dhruv Sareen (Ceders Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles)
  • Prof Goran Simic (University of Zagreb, Croatia)
Funded projects (current):

Joint Sparks and GOSH Charity National Funding (UK) 
Therapy development for childhood motor neuron disease
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant)

Keele University 
Funding for 3-year PhD studentship
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant)

Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, UK 
Omics-assisted drug discovery for childhood motor neuron disease
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant)

Spinal Injuries Fund, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital (UK) 
A Systems Biology Approach to Identify Prognostic Indicators and New Targets for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury
Awarded to Karina Wright (Principal Applicant) and Heidi Fuller (Co-applicant)

Keele University 
Funding for 3-year PhD studentship
Awarded to Monte Gates (Principal Applicant) and Heidi Fuller (Co-applicant)

Arthritis Research (UK) 
Individualisation of biological therapies for osteoarthritis – understanding and reducing failures. Awarded to Karina Wright (Principal Applicant), and co-applicants Sally Roberts, Heidi Fuller and James Richardson.

Funded projects (completed):

The SMA Trust (UK) 
Two-year Career Development Fellowship: The molecular consequences of reduced SMN in iPS-derived human motor neurons
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant)

Henry Smith Charity (UK) 
Identifying and Quantifying Growth Promoting Signals in the Developing Spinal Cord
Awarded to Monte Gates (Principal Applicant) and Heidi Fuller (Co-applicant)

RJAH Charitable Funds (UK) 
Anti-epileptic drugs and bone loss
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant), and co-applicants Mark Garton & Glenn Morris

Henry Smith Charity (UK) 
Identifying and Quantifying Growth Promoting Signals in the Developing Spinal Cord
Awarded to Monte Gates (Principal Applicant) and Heidi Fuller (Co-applicant)

RJAH Institute of Orthopaedics (UK) 
Human stem-cell-derived motor neurons for testing potential therapeutic pathways in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), using both targeted and proteomic approaches
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant).

RJAH Institute of Orthopaedics (UK)Childwick Trust, and Lord Leverhulme’s Charitable Trust(UK) 
Nutritional protection against neurodegenerative disease
Awarded to Heidi Fuller (Principal Applicant).

North Staffordshire Medical Institute (UK) 
Identification of biomarkers using mass spectrometry
Awarded to Paul Roach (Principal Applicant), Heidi Fuller (co-applicant), et al.

RJAH Institute of Orthopaedics (UK) 
Funding awarded to support the service contract of the 4800 MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometer. Awarded to Glenn Morris (Principal Applicant) and Heidi Fuller (co-applicant).

Teaching

Publications

School of Medicine
David Weatherall building
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Keele University
Staffordshire
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Email: fmhs.facilities@keele.ac.uk
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