My urology research programmes bring together cell physiology and molecular biology disciplines to understand the complex cellular signalling systems which underpin normal bladder function and become dysregulated in bladder disease.

We are also investigating the role of ion channels in the progression of urological cancers including bladder and prostate.

I obtained my PhD for research into ion channels on smooth muscle cells from the lower urinary tract. This generated my interest in the cellular basis of spontaneous activity in the bladder and set the focus of my independent research career which was marked by a New Investigator Award from BBSRC to study Kit-positive interstitial cells in the bladder. This work was carried out in the Centre for Biophotonics in the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow and formed the foundation for my application to the Wellcome Trust for a University Award (Senior Research Fellowship) in Queen's University Belfast. This award enabled the establishment of my research group in the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology.

As co-PI in the first European Union funded consortium to study urinary incontinence ("INComb" FP7 grant), our group is has made a decisive contribution to the basic cellular mechanisms underlying a condition that affects an estimated 60 million people in Europe and for which there are few effective therapies.

Our current MRC-funded research on bladder toxicity as an adverse effect of radiation therapy will elucidate the molecular mechanisms driving typical lower urinary tract symptoms of urgency, urinary frequency, nocturia and voiding dysfunction that develop during treatment. This translational programme includes a clinical research trial in prostate cancer patients to identify predictive biomarkers of late radiation bladder toxicity.

My interdisciplinary programme on ion channels and cancer exploits electrophysiology, molecular pathology, cell and molecular oncology and biomarker discovery to advance our knowledge of tumour biology.

Key Words

Urinary incontinence; urinary bladder; radiation therapy; smooth muscle; interstitial cells; Ca²⁺-signalling; electrophysiology; confocal microscopy; urothelial cancer; prostate cancer.

Fellowships

We are willing to host and support Fellowship applications for PhD or postdoctoral training.