Research focus
The overall aim of my research is to assess how gut hormones vary with human health and different disease states using techniques including immunoassay and liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy. I run clinical studies recruiting healthy volunteers and patients with different metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases to assess gut hormone levels in the fasted and fed state.
Background and experience
I initially worked in the Gribble-Reimann group as a summer intern student in 2009 and 2010. Since then I completed my medical degree at Imperial College London and began training as an academic clinical fellow in diabetes and endocrinology at the University of Warwick. Twelve years after my original internship, I returned to the IMS-MRL to study towards a PhD in gut hormone physiology, which I now approach from a more clinical perspective. My previous research has included the metabolic effects of different cortisol replacement regimes in adrenal insufficiency.
Working at the IMS-MRL
I am currently focusing on developing clinical studies to assess gut hormone levels in the fed and fasted state in healthy volunteers, and in people with gastrointestinal conditions. I assess hormones involved in appetite, satiety and motility. The aim is to characterise these levels in healthy volunteers and assess how they vary in different disease states. The use of liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy allows for greater specificity and the opportunity to test for novel biomarkers, which potentially could aid in diagnosis and treatment of different gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases. I am also learning cell culture techniques to compare clinical findings with organoid models. I regularly collaborate with the clinical endocrinology and gastroenterology teams at Addenbrooke’s Hospital..
