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Research Summary
My research focuses on developing and applying novel multi-modality imaging approached for the investigation of cardiomyopathy and therapy. Using serial in vivo cardiac MRI, ultrasound and PET/SPECT/CT, I investigate the mechanisms that underlie cardiac disease and result in heart failure. My specific area of interest is cardiac regeneration through stem cell therapy and tissue engineering - an emerging research field which can benefit enormously from translatable basic science. My ongoing research into enhancement of stem cell retention, viability and differentiation, assessed in vivo using MRI, radionuclide, fluorescent and bioluminescent labelling of donor cells, can provide data essential to current clinical trials of stem cells.
Preclinical Cardiovascular Imaging
I lead Preclinical Cardiovascular Imaging within CABI, and develop novel and innovative imaging methods for investigating heart disease and stroke. I have established over fifty collaborative projects with leading researchers within UCL, the UK and internationally, and I am always keen to collaborate with enthusiastic scientists interested in utilizing the power of in vivo imaging in their research.
I also lead Preclinical Cardiovascular Imaging at Imperial College's new Biological Imaging Centre.
Small Animal Stroke and Myocardial Infarction Service (SASMIS)
I manage a core service that will enable researchers to test their hypotheses in vivo in reproducible rodent stroke and myocardial infarction models. By aiding with study design and experimental expertise I believe SASMIS can facilitate interdisciplinary research projects and enhance the impact of basic research.
MSc in Advanced Biomedical Imaging
I am founder and co-Director of UCL's new MSc in Advanced Biomedical Imaging - a course which aims to train the next generation of innervation imaging scientists.
Biography
I am a British Heart Foundation Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellow and lead pre-clinical cardiovascular imaging at UCL's Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging (CABI) and at Imperial College's new Biological Imaging Centre.
Prior to joining UCL in 2013, I worked with Prof. Michael Schneider at Imperial College London. I lead preclinical cardiac imaging for the National Heart and Lung Institute and investigated cell therapy, diffuse cardiac fibrosis, stress cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and transgenic models of disease using MRI, ultrasound and optical tomography.
I studied for my DPhil at The University of Oxford in the Laboratory of Prof. Kieran Clarke. During my PhD I used MRI to assess the benefits of stem cell therapy for the infarcted heart, tracked the location of iron mircosphere labelled bone marrow stromal cells and cardiac stem cells in the live heart over 16 weeks in vivo and performed extensive characterization of cardiac function after stem cell therapy and in transgenic models of heart disease, including hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy and muscular dystrophy.