Directory of Experts
Details for Dr Elinor Griffiths
| Personal details | |
| Name | Dr Elinor Griffiths |
| Job title | Senior Lecturer |
| Department | School of Biochemistry University of Bristol |
| Contact details | This expert can be contacted via the University of Bristol Public Relations
Office. To help us deal with your request, please mention the Directory of Experts when contacting the Public Relations Office. work+44 (0)117 331 8092 email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk |
| Qualifications | B.A.(Oxon.), Ph.D.(Bath) |
| Professional details | |
| Keywords | heart metabolism hormones energy calcium ischaemia heart disease mitochondria |
| Areas of expertise | I research the basic mechanisms of energy production in the heart, how these enable the heart to beat, and what goes wrong in heart diseases. I use single heart cells to study changes in calcium and energy (ATP), which are both essential for normal heart function. We can keep the cells beating to monitor function. I use fluorescent dyes that light up when e.g. calcium is bound to them, in this way we can literally see how calcium is changing inside a single cell. I also lecture on metabolism in muscle, liver and fat (adipose tissue); how this is controlled by hormones like insulin, adrenaline and glucagon, and what goes wrong in diseases like diabetes and obesity. |
| Media experience | I have spoken with journalists about my research, and been interviewed (by phone) on local radio. BBC came into the laboratory to film following a press release of one of my papers (although I was away at the time). |