Research Interests
Hormones from the gut are central to the control of appetite and insulin release.
I run a joint laboratory with Professor Frank Reimann, with a focus on understanding the biology of gut hormones, including GLP-1 and GIP which underlie the new drugs for type 2 diabetes and weight loss – the class of GLP-1 receptor agonists that includes semaglutide and tirzepatide. Hormones such GLP-1 are produced by specialised enteroendocrine cells in the lining of the intestinal tract, and send signals related to recent food ingestion that help to coordinate processes such as insulin secretion and appetite, as well as intestinal digestion and motility.
We use techniques such as transcriptomics, mass spectrometry peptidomics, live cell imaging and electrophysiology to identify pathways leading to gut hormone secretion; murine approaches to study gut-brain cross-talk; and human physiological studies to investigate roles of gut hormones in human conditions such as obesity and gastrointestinal disorders.
We hope that our research will lead to the development of new drugs or diets that treat diabetes, obesity and gastrointestinal disorders by targeting gut hormone release.
Group Members (all joint with Reimann)
Constanza Alcaino, Research Associate - caa62 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Sofia Aleksashina, PhD student - sa2115 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Chris Bannon, Clinical Research Associate - camb3 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Adam Davison, Research Associate - ad2256 at cam.ac.uk
Htar Htar Hlaing, Clinical Research Associate - hhh32 at cam.ac.uk
Paula-Peace James-Okoro, PhD student - ppoj2 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Richard Kay, Senior Research Associate - rgk27 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Jo Lewis, Research Associate - jl2033 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Tianyi Lu, PhD student - tl602 at cam.ac.uk
Mireia Montaner - Research Associate - mm2727 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Danae Nuzzaci, Research Associate - dn371 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Haruhiko Omori, PhD Student - ho322 at cam.ac.uk
Akhila Palakodaty, PhD Student - asp66 at cam.ac.uk
Varsha Pramod Rao, Research Assistant - vp442 at cam.ac.uk
Marta Santos Hernandez, Research Associate - ms2896 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Christopher Smith, Research Associate - cas228 at medschl.cam.ac.uk
Mae Tabbada, PhD student - jmt97 at cam.ac.uk
Research Funding
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
National Institute for Health Research – Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR-BRC)