Steering group

• Borko Amulic, Faculty of Life Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  Borko is a MRC Research Fellow interested in molecular regulation of inflammation and mechanisms that promote disease tolerance. His group focuses on innate immune cells called neutrophils. The lab investigates protective and detrimental roles of neutrophils in infections (malaria, fungal infections, COVID-19) and sterile inflammatory disease, using cellular and in vivo models, as well as genetic epidemiology approaches.
• Maria Carolina Borges, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Science
  Carolina is a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow at the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol. Her work focuses on integrating high-dimensional ‘omics’ data (particularly genomics, proteomics and metabolomics) in large-scale population studies to unravel molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases and pregnancy-related complications.
• Celia Gregson, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Translational Health Science
  Celia is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the Musculoskeletal Research Unit (MRU), University of Bristol and an Honorary Consultant Orthogeriatrician at the Royal United Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Bath. As lead of the UK DINAG consortium (DXA-databases to Identify Novel Anabolic Genes), she has worked extensively on the molecular genetics of High Bone Mass.
• Bethan Lloyd-Lewis, Faculty of Life Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  Bethan completed a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology at Cardiff University, where she became increasingly interested in the cellular pathways that regulate breast development and tumourigenesis. Subsequently, she undertook a postdoctoral position focused on mammary gland development and stem cell biology at the University of Cambridge. She then moved to Institut Curie in Paris on a postdoctoral fellowship in 2017 to develop skills in advanced intravital imaging to investigate the dynamic cell behaviours driving mammary gland development and hyperplasia. She obtained a University of Bristol Vice-Chancellor’s fellowship in 2019 to establish her group, where they study the link between breast development and breast cancer susceptibility.
• Paul Martin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Biochemistry / Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  Our lab investigates several aspects of wound healing including re-epithelialisation, inflammation, angiogenesis and scarring. The animal models we use range from mouse and zebrafish through to Drosophila, the last two of these because of their genetic tractability and amenability for live imaging. We are also interested in understanding parallels between the inflammatory response to a wound and to a growing skin cancer. For all of the above we are keen to marry our cell biology studies with insights from population health approaches.
• Alastair Poole, Faculty of Life Sciences, Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience
  Alastair Poole is a platelet biologist. Platelets are small cells of the blood, responsible for blood clotting and thrombosis. We are interested in how these cells are formed, how genetic variants may control their numbers (low platelet counts, thrombocytopenia, are causal for bleeding disorders), how genes control their function. We have been interested in how gene methylation is able also to control their function and number. Some of these changes cause hyperfunctionality, which may be linked to thrombotic disease and risk associated with myocardial infarction or venous thrombosis. We have used recall cohorts to assess these genetic and epigenetic effects, and our work is also informed by large studies such as UKBioBank
• David Stephens, Faculty of Life Sciences, Biochemistry
  David collaborates widely with colleagues in the UK and internationally through his work on cell organization, secretion, and cilia function. This has included work with chemists on the development of small molecule inhibitors, with clinicians to develop an understanding of the molecular basis of uncharacterised gene mutations on cell and tissue function, with physicists and mathematicians to develop and implement new imaging modalities and image analysis tools, and a longstanding collaboration with Chrissy Hammond to integrate zebrafish as a model organism to understand core cellular pathways in an in vivo context.
• Ann Williams, Faculty of Life Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  Understanding and targeting early-stage tumorigenesis for improved prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. The central focus of the Colorectal Tumour Biology group is to increase our understanding of key events in early colorectal carcinogenesis, including the importance of the tumour microenvironment on tumour cell metabolism and stem cell plasticity. By combining cell and molecular biology, population health research and clinical studies, we aim to deliver an integrated programme of research to improve both the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer.
• Alison Denny, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Science
  Alison is an experienced programme and project manager and has managed a large Cancer Research UK funded programme within Population Health Sciences since 2015, previously working in the Faculty of Engineering. The CRUK Integrative Cancer Epidemiology Programme (ICEP) involves a cross-disciplinary team focusing on cancer prevention and prediction. Before coming to Bristol Alison was based at the University of Stirling as a research project manager, leading a team working with all Scotland's universities and facilitating collaborations with SMEs (small & medium enterprises).
• Abi Fraser, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Science
  Abi is a Professor of Epidemiology at the Bristol Medical School. Her work aims to understand the determinants and downstream health effects of variation in women’s reproductive health across the life course and to identify relevant mechanisms, from behavioural to molecular pathways. She has a particular interest in the mechanisms linking adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, with women’s cardiovascular disease risk in later life.