News — Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)

Oliver Neely wins Peter Beaconsfield Prize

16 June 2020

Congratulations are in order for DPhil student Oliver Neely of the Paterson and Domingos labs, who has been awarded the Peter Beaconsfield Prize in Physiological Sciences 2020.

HCQ with antibiotics to treat COVID-19 could be dangerous for the heart

26 May 2020

DPAG researchers have collaborated on an international study that demonstrates a detailed mechanistic understanding of how the anti-malaria drug, Hydroxychloroquine, combined with antibiotics, can cause adverse cardiac side-effects in COVID-19 patients. This gives weight to US Federal advice against using this combined treatment.

Heart scarring run by Runx1 gene

27 April 2020

New collaborative research from the Mommersteeg Group and MRC WIMM researchers shows that a protein called Runx1 plays a significant role in the formation of the cardiac scar that forms after the heart is injured, a scar that is known to inhibit heart regeneration. In the zebrafish, a freshwater fish known to be able to fully regenerate its heart after damage, they show that the absence of Runx1 results in enhanced regeneration. This indicates a potential new therapeutic target for heart repair.

New human heart model set to boost future cardiac research and therapies

31 January 2020

DPAG's Dr Jakub Tomek and Professor Blanca Rodriguez's Computational Cardiovascular Science Team have developed a new computer model that recreates the electrical activity of the ventricles in a human heart. In doing so, they have uncovered and resolved theoretical inconsistencies that have been present in almost all models of the heart from the last 25 years and created a new human heart model that could enable more basic, translational and clinical research into a range of heart diseases and potentially accelerate the development of new therapies.

New target identified for repairing the heart after heart attack

30 January 2020

An immune cell is shown for the first time to be involved in creating the scar that repairs the heart after damage. The Riley Group study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and led by BHF CRE Intermediate Transition Research Fellow Dr Filipa Simões.

New target identified to help prevent dangerous heart rhythms after heart attack

8 January 2020

For many years, we have been using beta-blockers to neutralise a specific stress hormone and prevent dangerous heart rhythms following a heart attack. However, a new study led by Associate Professor Neil Herring and published in the European Heart Journal has uncovered evidence for an additional stress hormone acting as a key trigger for dangerous heart rhythms that is not currently targeted by these drugs.

Biomarker predicts which patients with heart failure have a higher risk of dying

7 January 2020

UCLA Researchers in collaboration with DPAG researchers from the Paterson and Herring Groups have identified a biomarker for increased risk of early mortality in patients with heart failure. Associate Professor Neil Herring is senior author.

Manuela Zaccolo honoured by the Royal Society of Biology

21 October 2019

Congratulations are in order to Professor Manuela Zaccolo on being elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.

DPAG members shine at the Oxford BHF CRE Annual Symposium 2019

17 October 2019

Congratulations are in order to Matthew Kerr, Andia Redpath, Susann Bruche, KC Park and Minahil Mujahid for their achievements at this major showcase for Oxford's British Heart Foundation funded Researchers.

Damian Tyler is an Honorary Skou Professor at the University of Aarhus

15 October 2019

The award recognises and solidifies Professor Tyler's collaborative work with the MR Research Centre, part of the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Aarhus.

Richard Tyser awarded runner-up position in BHF image competition

14 August 2019

This year's "Reflections of Research" competition, run by the British Heart Foundation, selects "The Forming Heart" by Dr Richard Tyser as the Judge's runner-up

Potential strategy identified to improve blood vessel growth after heart attack

22 July 2019

A collaborative paper from the De Val and Smart Groups has established multiple regulatory pathways responsible for the formation of blood vessels in the developing heart. In doing so they have identified a crucial pathway that is repressed in the adult heart after injury, which may hold the key to a new and improved strategy for repair.

New approach to reducing damage after a heart attack

12 July 2019

During the emergency procedure used to reopen the blocked artery causing a heart attack, smaller "micro" blood vessels can remain constricted causing significant damage. A new study led by Associate Professor Neil Herring and published in the European Heart Journal has established a key cause behind this constriction and identified a potential therapeutic target to block the mechanism behind it.

Sarah De Val set to expand critical research into endothelial cell dysfunction in cardiovascular disease

12 July 2019

Prof Sarah De Val in collaboration with Dr Gillian Douglas from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine has received a grant from the John Fell Fund to support their work investigating the behaviour of different endothelial regulatory pathways during disorders of the cardiovascular system.

Cardiac, metabolism and cell physiology researchers come together for Integrative Physiology Theme Day

3 July 2019

The Department's third and final theme day of the year culminated in a series of exciting internal talks from a diverse range of research groups covering all aspects of integrative physiology. From diabetes to iron deficiency, from pH physiology to cancer cells, the talks showcased the huge breadth of science studied across DPAG.

BHF Senior Fellowship renewal for Nicola Smart paves the way for stimulating vessel growth to repair damaged hearts

14 June 2019

Congratulations are in order for Associate Professor Nicola Smart, who has been awarded a renewal of her British Heart Foundation Senior Basic Science Research Fellowship. The award will fund research investigating the processes behind blood vessel growth in order to understand how to stimulate heart repair after injury.

DPAG students impress at the British Cardiovascular Society Annual Conference

7 June 2019

Congratulations are in order to Smart Group members Dr Tonia Thomas and Sonali Munshaw.

Neil Herring honoured by the Royal College of Physicians

7 June 2019

Congratulations are in order to Associate Professor Neil Herring on being made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.

Development and Cell Biology Researchers showcased in diverse and collaborative annual event

7 June 2019

A series of internal talks demonstrated an extensive breadth of research within the Development and Cell Biology Theme that tackles the questions fundamental to understanding evolution, growth, organ formation, the onset of disease and tissue regeneration. DPAG Researchers were also joined by two external speakers presenting their research into age-related angiocrine signals and stem cell strategies for lung development.

Critical link revealed between iron deficiency and a serious cardiovascular condition

3 June 2019

A new discovery from the Lakhal-Littleton Group on how iron deficiency affects the vasculature of the lung could hold the key to improving treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.