Biography
I joined the School of Pharmacy at as a Reader in Pharmaceutical Sciences & Technology in September 2013, following 12 years of drug-discovery research at AstraZeneca, and a PhD and Postdoc at the Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London. My research interests are based around peptide hormone/neurotransmitter control of metabolism, in particular the ghrelin and Melanin Concentrating Hormone systems.
As well as teaching pharmacology to undergraduates on the MPharm programme, I have a role in the school focussing on "Student Engagement and Wellbeing".
Research and scholarship
ISTM Research theme: Therapeutics
My research before I came to Keele was in the area of obesity and diabetes, and in particular on hypothalamic control of food intake. Since coming to Keele I have shifted to investigate the role of inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases, with an aim of bringing the two areas together to address the question “does increased neuroinflammation play a role in the altered epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases in obese people?” Currently this research involves in vitro cell culture models of neurodegenerative inflammation, using cell lines and primary cell cultures to investigate the effects of hypoxia & amyloid protein on microglial activation.
Selected Publications
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Proteomic analysis of age-related changes in ovine cerebrospinal fluid. Exp Gerontol, vol. 108, 181-188. link> doi> full text>2018.
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Arcuate nucleus homeostatic systems reflect blood leptin concentration but not feeding behaviour during scheduled feeding on a high-fat diet in mice. J Neuroendocrinol, vol. 29(8). link> doi> full text>2017.
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Discovery of a series of 2-(pyridinyl)pyrimidines as potent antagonists of GPR40. MEDCHEMCOMM, vol. 6(6), 1024-1029. link> doi> full text>2015.
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Identification, optimization, and pharmacology of acylurea GHS-R1a inverse agonists. J Med Chem, vol. 57(14), 6128-6140. link> doi> full text>2014.
- 2014.
Full Publications List show
Journal Articles
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Proteomic analysis of age-related changes in ovine cerebrospinal fluid. Exp Gerontol, vol. 108, 181-188. link> doi> full text>2018.
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Arcuate nucleus homeostatic systems reflect blood leptin concentration but not feeding behaviour during scheduled feeding on a high-fat diet in mice. J Neuroendocrinol, vol. 29(8). link> doi> full text>2017.
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Discovery of a series of 2-(pyridinyl)pyrimidines as potent antagonists of GPR40. MEDCHEMCOMM, vol. 6(6), 1024-1029. link> doi> full text>2015.
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Identification, optimization, and pharmacology of acylurea GHS-R1a inverse agonists. J Med Chem, vol. 57(14), 6128-6140. link> doi> full text>2014.
- 2014.
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Large, binge-type meals of high fat diet change feeding behaviour and entrain food anticipatory activity in mice. Appetite, vol. 77, 60-71. link> doi> full text>2014.
- 2014.
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Growth hormone secretagogue receptor deficiency in mice protects against obesity‐induced hypertension. Physiological Reports, vol. 2(e00240). doi> full text>2014.
- 2013.
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Arcuate nucleus homeostatic systems are not altered immediately prior to the scheduled consumption of large, binge-type meals of palatable solid or liquid diet in rats and mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, vol. 25, 357-371. doi>2013.
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Effects of Chronic Oral Rimonabant Administration on Energy Budgets of Diet-Induced Obese C57BL/6 Mice. Obesity, vol. 20, 954-962. doi>2012.
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Factors predicting nongenetic variability in body weight gain induced by a high-fat diet in inbred C57BL/6J mice. Obesity, vol. 20, 1179-1188. doi>2012.
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Physiological and behavioral responses to intermittent starvation in C57BL/6J mice. Physiology & behavior, vol. 105, 376-387. doi>2012.
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Central NMU signaling in body weight and energy balance regulation: evidence from NMUR2 deletion and chronic central NMU treatment in mice. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology And Metabolism, vol. 297, E708-E716. doi>2009.
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Optimization of 2-piperidin-4-yl-acetamides as melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCH-R1) antagonists: Designing out hERG inhibition. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters, vol. 19, 4268-4273. doi>2009.
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Optimization of piperidin-4-yl-urea-containing melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCH-R1) antagonists: Reducing hERG-associated liabilities. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters, vol. 19, 4274-4279. doi>2009.
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Discovery of 1, 3-disubstituted-1< i> H</i>-pyrrole derivatives as potent Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Receptor 1 (MCH-R1) antagonists. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters, vol. 18, 4859-4863. doi>2008.
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Discovery of cyclopentane-and cyclohexane-< i> trans</i>-1, 3-diamines as potent melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 antagonists. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters, vol. 17, 4232-4241. doi>2007.
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Importance of melanin-concentrating hormone receptor for the acute effects of ghrelin. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, vol. 326, 759-765. doi>2005.
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Mice lacking melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 demonstrate increased heart rate associated with altered autonomic activity. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, vol. 287, R749-R758. doi>2004.
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Osteoporosis in MCHR1-deficient mice. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, vol. 318, 964-969. doi>2004.
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Effects of Melanocortin Receptor Ligands on Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Release: Evidence for the Differential Roles of Melanocortin 3 and 4 Receptors. Journal of neuroendocrinology, vol. 14, 276-282. doi>2002.
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Actions of cocaine-and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide on regulation of appetite and hypothalamo-pituitary axes in vitro and in vivo in male rats. Brain research, vol. 893, 186. doi>2001.
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Central administration of orexin A suppresses basal and domperidone stimulated plasma prolactin. Journal of neuroendocrinology, vol. 12, 1213-1218. doi>2001.
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Effects of chronic central nervous system administration of agouti-related protein in pair-fed animals. Diabetes, vol. 50, 248-254. doi>2001.
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Evidence of an orexigenic role for cocaine-and amphetamine-regulated transcript after administration into discrete hypothalamic nuclei. Endocrinology, vol. 142, 3457-3463. doi>2001.
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The central effects of orexin-A in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in vivo and in vitro in male rats. Journal of neuroendocrinology, vol. 13, 561-566. doi>2001.
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Effect of leptin on hypothalamic GLP-1 peptide and brain-stem pre-proglucagon mRNA. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, vol. 269, 331-335. doi>2000.
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Hypothalamic localization of the feeding effect of agouti-related peptide and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Diabetes, vol. 49, 177-182. doi>2000.
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Metabolism and Signal Transduction-Hypothalamic localization of the feeding effect of agouti-related peptide and a-melanocyte–Stimulating hormone. Diabetes-American Diabetes Association, vol. 49, 177-182.2000.
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The central melanocortin system affects the hypothalamo-pituitary thyroid axis and may mediate the effect of leptin. Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 105, 1005-1011. doi>2000.
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The novel hypothalamic peptide ghrelin stimulates food intake and growth hormone secretion. Endocrinology, vol. 141, 4325-4328. doi>2000.
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Investigation of the feeding effects of melanin concentrating hormone on food intake–action independent of galanin and the melanocortin receptors. Brain research, vol. 846, 164. doi>1999.
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A C-terminal fragment of Agouti-related protein increases feeding and antagonizes the effect of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone in vivo. Endocrinology, vol. 139, 4428-4431. doi>1998.
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Glucagon-like peptide-1 stimulates luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone secretion in a rodent hypothalamic neuronal cell line. Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 101, 1334. doi>1998.
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Inhibition of glucose stimulated insulin secretion by neuropeptide Y is mediated via the Y1 receptor and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase in RIN 5AH rat insulinoma cells. Diabetologia, vol. 41, 1482-1491. doi>1998.
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The NPY Y1 receptor antagonist BIBP 3226 blocks NPY induced feeding via a non-specific mechanism. Regulatory peptides, vol. 75, 377-382. doi>1998.
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Neuropeptide Y induced feeding in the rat is mediated by a novel receptor. Endocrinology, vol. 138, 196-202. doi>1997.
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Peptide analogue studies of the hypothalamic neuropeptide Y receptor mediating pituitary adrenocorticotrophic hormone release. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 94, 11686-11691. doi>1997.
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Reduced NPY Induced Feeding in Diabetic but not Steroid-Treated Rats: Lack of Evidence for Changes in Receptor Number or Affinity. Journal of neuroendocrinology, vol. 8(4), 283-290. doi>1996.
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An abundant and specific binding site for the novel vasodilator adrenomedullin in the rat. Endocrinology, vol. 136, 2127-2134. doi>1995.
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Expression of a novel receptor for the calcitonin peptide family and a salmon calcitonin-like peptide in the alpha-thyrotropin thyrotroph cell line. Endocrinology, vol. 136, 2377-2382. doi>1995.
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Distribution of adrenomedullin binding sites in rat tissues: Evidence for tissue specific receptor subtypes. Regulatory Peptides, vol. 51, 293. doi>1994.
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Specific binding sites for the novel vasodilator adrenomedullin are expressed in mammalian lung. Regulatory Peptides, vol. 51, 289. doi>1994.
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The presence of islet amyloid polypeptide/calcitonin gene-related peptide/salmon calcitonin binding sites in the rat nucleus accumbens. European journal of pharmacology, vol. 262, 133-141. doi>1994.
Other
- 2007.
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Osteoporosis in melanin concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1) deficient mice. JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH (vol. 18, p. S257). link>2003.
- 2000.


