Dr Richard D Horniblow MSci, PhD, FHEA

Dr Richard D Horniblow

School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology
Associate Professor in Gastrointestinal Biomedical Science
Biomaterials and Microbiome Research Interface Group Leader

Contact details

Email
r.horniblow@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
School of Inflammation, Infection and Immunology
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Dr Richard Horniblow is an Associate Professor in Gastrointestinal Biomedical Science at the University of Birmingham and leads the Bioencapsulation and Microbiome Interface Research Lab. His group brings together biomaterials scientists, microbiologists, and chemists to develop functional material–based strategies for precision modulation of the intestinal and oral microbiome. The lab designs next-generation probiotics and precision prebiotics by characterising bacterial bioactives and engineering microencapsulation and targeted delivery systems that preserve viability and enable engraftment. These approaches are evaluated using advanced microbiome models to understand and direct community-level responses, supporting the development of translational microbiome therapeutics.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2021
  • PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, 2015
  • MSci in Chemistry with Pharmacology, Class I, University of Birmingham, 2011

Teaching

Richard is actively involved in research-led teaching across biomedical science and medicine, contributing to and coordinating core gastrointestinal teaching within the MBChB programme. His teaching emphasises clinical relevance, experimental design, and emerging microbiome therapeutics, with a strong focus on engaging students in translational biomedical research.

Postgraduate supervision

I supervise research projects at the interface of microbiome science, biomaterials engineering, and translational gastrointestinal research. My group takes an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together microbiology, chemistry, materials science, and clinical insight to develop next-generation microbiome therapeutics.

Current and prospective postgraduate projects focus on:

- Engineering next-generation probiotics and microbial bioactives for intestinal and oral health
- Precision prebiotics and functional materials designed to selectively enrich beneficial microbes
- Microencapsulation/Bioencapsulation and delivery systems to protect oxygen-sensitive bacteria and enable engraftment
- Advanced in vitro and bioreactor-based microbiome models to study community-level modulation
- Translational applications in inflammatory bowel disease, antimicrobial resistance, and oral–gut health

If interested in undertaking research in Richard's laboratory, please contact him at r.horniblow@bham.ac.uk

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Mugo, CW, Church, E, Horniblow, RD, Mollan, SP, Botfield, H, Hill, LJ, Sinclair, AJ & Grech, O 2025, 'Unravelling the gut-brain connection: a systematic review of migraine and the gut microbiome', The Journal of Headache and Pain, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 125. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-025-02039-7

Morris, NR, Daw, H, Bates, L & Horniblow, RD 2025, 'Utilising the diagnostic criteria of paediatric feeding disorder: Updated findings from a population‐based cohort study', Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpn3.70258

Johnson, TN, Batchelor, HK, Goelen, J, Horniblow, RD & Dinh, J 2024, 'Combining data on the bioavailability of midazolam and physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic modeling to investigate intestinal CYP3A4 ontogeny', CPT: Pharmacometrics & Systems Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp4.13192

Ta, L, Corrigan, S, Tselepis, C, Iqbal, T, Ludwig, C & Horniblow, R 2024, 'Gastrointestinal-inert prebiotic micro-composites improve the growth and community diversity of mucosal-associated bacteria', Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 375, pp. 495-512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.09.021

Ta, LP, Corrigan, S & Horniblow, R 2024, 'Novel pectin-carboxymethylcellulose-based double-layered mucin/chitosan microcomposites successfully protect the next-generation probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila through simulated gastrointestinal transit and alter microbial communities within colonic ex vivo bioreactors', International Journal of Pharmaceutics, vol. 665, 124670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124670

Horniblow, RD, Pathak, P, Eshrati, M, Latunde-Dada, GO & Tselepis, C 2023, 'Intestinal iron bio-accessibility changes by Lignin and the subsequent impact on cell metabolism and intestinal microbiome communities', Food & Function, vol. 14, no. 8, 3673, pp. 3673-3685. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fo03807b

Goelen, J, Farrell, G, McGeehan, J, Titman, CM, J W Rattray, N, Johnson, TN, Horniblow, RD & Batchelor, HK 2023, 'Quantification of drug metabolising enzymes and transporter proteins in the paediatric duodenum via LC-MS/MS proteomics using a QconCAT technique', European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, vol. 191, pp. 68-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpb.2023.08.011

Horniblow, RD, Pathak, P, Balacco, DL, Acharjee, A, Lles, E, Gkoutos, G, Beggs, AD & Tselepis, C 2022, 'Iron-mediated epigenetic activation of NRF2 targets', Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, vol. 101, 108929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2021.108929

Goelen, J, Alexander, B, Wijesinghe, HE, Evans, E, Pawar, G, Horniblow, R & Batchelor, H 2021, 'Quantification of fluid volume and distribution in the paediatric colon via magnetic resonance imaging', Pharmaceutics, vol. 13, no. 10, 1729. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics13101729

Quraishi, MN, Acharjee, A, Beggs, AD, Horniblow, R, Tselepis, C, Gkoutos, G, Ghosh, S, Rossiter, A, Loman, N, van Schaik, W, Withers, D, Walters, JRF, Hirschfield, GM & Iqbal, TH 2020, 'A pilot integrative analysis of colonic gene expression, gut microbiota, and immune infiltration in primary sclerosing cholangitis-inflammatory bowel disease: association of disease with bile acid pathways', Journal of Crohn's & Colitis, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 935-947. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjaa021

Horniblow, R, Mistry, P, Quraishi, MN, Beggs, A, van De Weile, T, Iqbal, T & Tselepis, C 2019, 'The safety and tolerability of a potential alginate-based iron chelator: results of a healthy participant study', Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 3, 674. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030674, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11030674

Phillips, E, Horniblow, RD, Poole, V, Bedford, M, Ward, DG, Kirkham, AJ, Tomlinson, J, Iqbal, TH & Tselepis, C 2018, 'A potential role for hepcidin in obesity-driven colorectal tumourigenesis', Oncology reports, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 392-400. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2017.6062

Horniblow, RD, Bedford, M, Hollingworth, R, Evans, S, Sutton, E, Lal, N, Beggs, A, Iqbal, TH & Tselepis, C 2017, 'B-RAF mutations are associated with increased iron regulatory protein-2 expression in colorectal tumourigenesis', Cancer Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/cas.13234

Hollingworth, R, Horniblow, R, Forrest, C, Stewart, G & Grand, R 2017, 'Localization of Double-Strand Break Repair Proteins to Viral Replication Compartments following Lytic Reactivation of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus', Journal of virology, vol. 91, e00930-17. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00930-17

Review article

Rees, NP, Shaheen, W, Quince, C, Tselepis, C, Horniblow, RD, Sharma, N, Beggs, AD, Iqbal, TH & Quraishi, MN 2022, 'Systematic review of donor and recipient predictive biomarkers of response to faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with ulcerative colitis', EBioMedicine, vol. 81, 104088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104088

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