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Prof John Greenwood
Davson Professor of Biomedical Research
Institute of Ophthalmology
Faculty of Brain Sciences
- Joined UCL
- 1st Jun 1993
Research summary
Research into the role the vascular endothelium plays in the pathogenesis of brain and retinal disease is a core component of the laboratory. Work from the Greenwood laboratory has been at the forefront of identifying and characterising novel endothelial cell mechanisms that facilitate the recruitment of leukocytes to the brain and retina, a critical step in the pathogenesis of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and posterior uveitis. Our understanding of these cellular mechanisms remains superficial and ongoing research is aimed at identifying key biochemical pathways that can be targeted through pharmacological intervention.
In recent years considerable effort has also been directed towards identifying novel drivers of vascular pathology in the brain and retina and in particular factors that contribute to the development of neovascularisation and vessel remodelling. This work has led to the identification of a number of secreted polypeptides that contribute to angiogenesis/remodelling including one that modifies TGFβ signalling. This work is currently leading to the development and testing of novel inhibitors that may prevent aberrant vascular development in diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) where new blood vessel growth is a major cause of vision loss.
Understanding the role of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells in the development of retinal diseases constitutes the other major focus of the Greenwood laboratory. Recently we have been investigating the ability of RPE cells to trans-differentiate towards a neuronal phenotype, to investigate the role of
RPE in innate immunity and in the development of AMD, and to understand at the molecular level the mechanism of phagocytosis.
Teaching summary
Education
- FRCPath, Pathology | 2000
- Royal College of Pathologists, UK
- MRCPath, | 1993
- University of London
- PhD, | 1983
- University of Reading
- BSc Hons, Physiology and Biochemistry | 1977
Biography
Professor John Greenwood is the Hugh Davson Professor of Biomedical Research and Head of the Department of Cell Biology at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London. He obtained his PhD from the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London following a study of transport systems at the blood-brain barrier. After a postdoctoral fellowship at King’s College London, he was awarded the Renee Hock Fellowship at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London in 1990 to study the blood-retinal barrier in retinal inflammatory disease. In 1993 he was made Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Ophthalmology and in 2000 Full Professor. His research staff occupies state-of-the-art laboratories in the Henry Wellcome Building for Translational Eye Research. The vasculature of the brain and retina in health and disease remain a major focus of his research. Work from the Greenwood laboratory has been at the forefront of identifying and characterising novel endothelial cell mechanisms that facilitate the recruitment of leukocytes to the central nervous system, a critical step in the pathogenesis of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and posterior uveitis. In recent years the core focus has been to identify and study novel drivers of vascular pathology in the retina and in particular factors that contribute to the development of pathogenic neovascularisation and vessel remodelling.