Degenerative diseases of the heart, lungs, vessels and nervous system are burdens that touch everyone’s life. We are discovering key processes underlying damage to these organs and developing interventions to block their progress or regenerate healthy tissue.
Cardiovascular research encompasses studies from the molecular and signalling pathways regulating behaviour of cells of the vasculature, to the functioning of the heart and vessels in animals, to the pathophysiology of heart failure, heart attacks and atrial fibrillation, to the impact of cardiovascular diseases on public health.
We are developing ways to inhibit vascular thrombosis and inflammation, optimise blood flow, improve management of those with heart disease, and test the effects of large scale interventions on the region’s health.
Respiratory science has particular strength in inflammatory mechanisms in chronic and acute lung injury, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, vasculitis and interstitial lung disease. Particular expertise exists in the roles of neutrophils, and of proteinases and proteinase inhibitors in lung damage.
Neuroscience research covers aspects of neuroscience from the cellular and molecular, to the whole brain, through to the extensive network of neuronal connections across the body, and how these biological underpinnings interact with psychological and social factors to cause neurological and psychiatric disease. With the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital and National Centre for Mental Health we focus on translational neuroscience to apply insights gained through fundamental research on brain structure and function to develop novel pharmacological and cellular therapies for neural damage and psychiatric disease.
Integrative physiology brings together these strands in the whole animal. It reveals the physiological and pathological processes underlying neural control of cardiovascular and respiratory homeostasis in health and disease. It is particularly distinguished by its use of in vivo techniques and its emphasis on integration of the different systems in co-ordinated response to challenges.