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.
PhD opportunity 2025-2029
Role of gut bitter taste receptors in enteroendocrine and epithelial signalling
Cambridge supervisors: Professors Fiona Gribble and Frank Reimann; GSK supervisor: Dr Konstantinos Stamatopoulos
This is a 4 year studentship, hosted in the Institute of Metabolic Science-Metabolic Research Laboratories in partnership with GSK. It is fully funded by GSK and will cover stipend, consumables and fees for UK based and overseas candidates. The project aims to identify the cellular and molecular targets of bitter chemicals in the gut, testing the hypothesis that activation of bitter taste receptors occurs in chemosensory enteroendocrine cells and/or other secretory cells (e.g. Paneth, Goblet or Tuft cells), with downstream effects on absorptive cells mediated by paracrine signalling.
Group Members (all joint with Reimann)
Constanza Alcaino, Research Associate - caa62@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Sofia Aleksashina, PhD student - sa2115@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Chris Bannon, Clinical Research Associate - camb3@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Sijing Cheng, Research Associate - sc2470@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Adam Davison, Research Associate - ad2256@cam.ac.uk
Gabriela Gil, Research Assistant - gg550@cam.ac.uk
Htar Htar Hlaing, Clinical Research Associate - hhh32@cam.ac.uk
Paula-Peace James-Okoro, PhD student - ppoj2@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Richard Kay, Senior Research Associate - rgk27@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Jo Lewis, Research Associate - jl2033@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Tianyi Lu, MPhil student - tl602@cam.ac.uk
Mireia Montaner, Research Associate - mm2727@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Danae Nuzzaci, Research Associate - dn371@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Austin Punnoose, Research Assistant in the Mass Spectrometry Core - Avp34@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Marta Santos Hernandez, Visiting Post-doctoral Fellow - ms2896@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Christopher Smith, Research Associate - cas228@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Mae Tabbada, PhD student - jmt97@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)
