Our main research interest is unravelling how cells interact with each other during tissue repair, with a particularly focus on how immune cells control blood vessels in revascularisation of damaged tissues. Both inflammation and angiogenesis are crucially important to healing, and the breakdown in the interface between these processes is key in defective and failed repair, such as compromised wounds that develop in diabetes.  We use zebrafish as our primary model to study the complexity of immune cell phenotypes and behaviours, identifying key genes and pathways that are responsible for driving interactions with blood vessels and dissecting how these go awry in contexts of impaired healing. By complementing these investigations with human tissue culture models, we validate our observations in the zebrafish, maximising our ability to translate our findings and ultimately develop novel therapeutic interventions to improve tissue repair.

Beyond this primary area of interest, we also study thrombosis and consequent ischaemic disease, a specific defect that causes impaired healing and commonly occurs in the context of disease such as atherosclerosis and diabetes. We aim to improve our mechanistic understanding of how immune cells interact with and induce clearance of thrombi, to identify new ways of combating tissue ischaemia while sparing normal haemostasis. Lastly, we have used the zebrafish to study how implanted biomaterials (e.g. sutures) interact with living tissue, and are actively exploring collaborations with biomaterial experts to extend on these investigations, especially to explore diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for accelerating tissue repair.

In all projects we use a combination of state-of-the-art techniques, including cloning, transgenesis, CRISPR-cas9 mutagenesis, transcriptomic/proteomic profiling and bioinformatics, flow cytometry, tissue culture and advanced microscopy.

We welcome PhD students and Postdocs with a strong interest in tissue repair and a motivation to explore the underlying mechanisms and cell interactions. Experience working in a molecular or genetics lab is preferred but not essential. Please contact me well in advance if you would like to apply for a scholarship/grant to join the team.