My research interests include the development of novel tools, through the combination of different disciplines in science and engineering, which can aid us in studying the human body and how it is affected by disease, diet, and our environment. 

Current research projects:

The development of an analytical probe to monitor the levels of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in tissues during the progress of tumors and after administration of different therapies.The development of novel 3D-printed materials for various biological applications

Previous research projects:

Developing an in vivo method for determining ambient levels of serotonin across brain circuitry at high temporal resolutionsDetermining differences in serotonergic innervation, modulation, and regulation in various brain regions using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry.

My principal research interests are in the characterisation of membrane proteins by using techniques such as patch clamping and planar bilayer analysis. We study the responses of whole cells and single channels to various drugs including newly synthesised ligands.

Hypertension and the BK Channel

The BK channel is a large calcium and voltage gated channel consisting of two different sub-units, α and β, these associate in cell membranes to control flow of potassium ions, which amongst other things, controls vascular tone. We have been investigating the effects of oestrogen and membrane impermeant oestrogen derivatives on the BK channel with the hope of developing a novel therapy for hypertension.

Ageing research

I have an on-going interest in changes in membrane protein function during the ageing process. Changes in potassium channel function are currently being investigated within my laboratory and include role of replicative senescence in determining channel expression and function. This research is undertaken as part of the ageing research initiative of the school of pharmacy and Biomolecular sciences.

Drug resistance

In addition to BK channel work we have investigated membrane transport proteins that are responsible for drug resistance in both cancer cells (P-glycoprotein, ABC B1) and the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum (pfCRT). We have expressed, purified and reconstituted both proteins and are undertaking functional studies of these proteins.

My research is in the field of supramolecular chemistry and its overlap with bioinorganic chemistry, supported by computational methods. I am fortunate to work in a highly multidisciplinary School where collaborations with biologists and pharmacologists have helped me work effectively at the chemistry-life sciences interface. Research projects have been funded by a range of sources including the EPSRC, Leverhulme Trust (Research Fellowship), EU (INTAS and IRSES), US Army Research Office, Dstl, UK and US industry and charity sectors, and local businesses. Most recently I have used my experience of modelling chemical complexes to investigate interactions between chemical nerve agents and cyclic compounds such as cyclodextrins and calixarenes. Understanding how the agents bind will hopefully lead to simpler ways to detect them.

Lipidomics, 3D-printing, fundamental studies of amphiphile phase behaviour and biological assays of protein activity in the presence of lipids and DNA.

Currently projects of interest are; 

- understanding how cells regulate their fat and lipid composition and how this affects the activity of membrane interacting proteins.

- exploring 3D-printing applications at the interface of the chemical and biological sciences. One of the attractive ideas here is the ability to make our own lab equipment, particularly for preliminary studies and for outreach activities.

- modelling the activity of lipid biosynthetic enzymes in crowded molecular environments such as the cell nucleus.

 

I am Professor of Biological Gerontology at the University of Brighton and past Chair of the British Society for Research on Ageing, the International Association of Biomedical Gerontology and the American Aging Association.  

I read Biochemistry at Imperial College, London and undertook doctoral studies at the University of Sussex. My primary research interest is the relationship between cellular senescence and organismal ageing.   

In 2002 my work on the accelerated ageing disease Werner’s syndrome led to the award of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Conference Science Medal for outstanding scientific achievement.  In 2005 I became the first ever scientist to receive a Help the Aged award for my championship of older people and the use of research for their benefit.  

In 2010, I became the first ever British recipient of the Paul F Glenn Award for research into the biological mechanisms of the ageing process. I am a visiting Professor at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and a Trustee of the Biogerontology Research Foundation.

I have served as a member of the Research Advisory Council of the Charity Research into Ageing and on strategy and funding panels for the BBSRC, the US National Institutes on Ageing and the European Union.  From 2005-2008 I was Co-director of the BBSRC-EPSRC SPARC programme, a research network designed to build national capacity to conduct inter-disciplinary ageing research. 

In 2015 I became the first British citizen to be elected to the Board of Directors of the American Federation for Aging Research, the leading US non-profit organization supporting and advancing healthy aging through biomedical research. In 2016 I was presented with the highest award for services to gerontology in the United Kingdom, the Lord Cohen of Birkenhead Medal and became a Fellow of the American Aging Association.

Dr. Flint is a Reader in Cancer Research at the University of Brighton. She is currently Co-leader of Brighton and Sussex Cancer Research Network and a member of the Cancer Translation Advisory Group Steering Committee and Theme leader for Cancer. Dr. Flint is also a member of the NCRI Symptom Management Working Group.

Dr. Flint trained in the Women’s Cancer Research Center, at the University of Pittsburgh cancer Institute and remains at adjunct Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh.

Her work on the effect of stress on cancer progression, chemotherapy and the immune system has been highlighted in the Making Research Matter and will likely results in changing treatment paradigms in patients with cancer.

How I like to teach

I currently teach Immunopharmacology, autoimmunity and I’m case leader for Breast Cancer. I prefer a more hands on practical approach to my teaching—this can be achieved though interactive lectures and workshops. Together with psychologist, Macmillan nurses, pharmacologists and pharmacists we will create interactive workshops to enhance student experiences.

Quotation  

Its very exciting to work on a (series) of projects that combine the expertise of laboratory based scientists with that of psycho-oncologists in an innovative area of research likely to produce tangible benefits for patients receiving cancer treatments. Valerie Jenkins, SHORE-C Sussex health Outcomes Research and Education group.

Research Interests

Currently, the focus of my laboratory is translational cancer research. Specifically, my research examines hormonal influences on cell cycle regulation and cancer. My primary research project involves the direct interplay between stress hormones (cortisol, noradrenaline) and the immune and cancer cells. This is accomplished through a mechanistic study of administration of stress hormones to cancerous cells, and observing these effects both in vitro, in vivo and human tissue sample models. The goal of my laboratory is to understand the mechanism through which behavioural stress impacts cancer progression.

PI Externally Funded Projects

Team Verrico  'Exploring polymorphisms in breast cancer'  June 2018-2017  £15,000.

CRUK 'A reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) monitoring system to study their role in cancer' Role: Co-Principal Investigator   Jan 2018-Jan 2020.

Breast Cancer Research Trust 'Stress hormones in BRCA mutation carriers increase susceptibility to the development of breast cancer' £49,997 Dec 2017-Dec 2018

Scholarly Biography

 I received my Ph.D. at Imperial College, London, UK. I moved to the United States and trained as a postdoctoral scientist at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV. It was there that I began a research track in the field of biobehavioral research. I became very interested in the power of stressful influences impacting disease outcome. At the time, I remained focused on the immune and inflammatory systems and the impact of stressful responses. My research interests began to include investigations into how psychosocial hormones influence the immune system and may impact cancer biology. Indeed, I was recruited to join the Behavioral Oncology team at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) as a Research Associate on the basis of my past experience in the field of stress and the immune system. During my tenure in this group, I worked on a number of projects related to how stress may impact the incidence and course of cancer, with a focus on the impact of stress and stress hormones on DNA damage and repair. In 2007, I was promoted to Research Instructor in the Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology. I began to apply my molecular and cell biology expertise to complement my breast cancer research, especially with the validation and implementation of cancer biomarkers. I became a Research Assistant Professor in 2012, where I trained in breast and ovarian cancer at the Womens cancer Research center, Pittsburgh. I am currently a Senior lecturer and leader of a stress and breast cancer program at the University of Brighton.

PhD Students

Marta Falcinelli Oct 2016-Oct 2019

Haya Intablis Jan 2016-Dec 2019

Maysa Maysa Al-Natsheh Jan 2017-Jan 2020

Gheed Alhity Jan 2019-Dec 2021

Post Doctoral Scientists (as of 2018)

Dr Aya Abdullah

Dr Renee Flaherty

Dr Caroline Garrett

Dr Will Jones

I am a synthetic inorganic chemist interested in the synthesis and characterisation of a range of multifunctional materials for use in the fields of molecular magnetism, liquid crystal research and carbon dioxide utilisation.

My research interests steam from the use of exercise to improve health. One of my main interests is how Bone responds to mechanical stress, with a view to improve bone health via exercise interventions. This includes both traditional impact exercise, which is very good for bone, and trying to utilise High-intensity Interval Training to improve bone health.

While examining how bone responds to mechanical load, I am also interested in the use of biochemical markers of bone turnover, and how these measures related to traditional x-ray measures of bone health. I am keen to examine how these measures correlate, with the view to developing more accurate screening tools for Osteoporosis.

I am also examining how participant adherence and enjoyment of exercise can be altered in order to improve how participants complete high-intensity exercise training programmes.

Dr. Jones is a post-doctoral research fellow working in Dr. Melanie S. Flint’s cancer stress lab. Having joined the lab in September 2018, Dr. Jones is working on a Cancer Research UK (CRUK)-funded multi-disciplinary project designed to tackle existing problems with new approaches. Dr. Jones and Dr. Flint, with expertise in cancer biology, are working alongside Prof. Bhavik A. Patel and post-doctoral research fellow Dr. Aya Abdulla, with expertise in electrochemical sensing, to develop a novel electrochemistry-based sensor for the detection of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), to measure production of these species in living tumour tissue cultured in the lab and to better characterise their role in the progression of cancer.

Research Interests

My research interests involve the study of cellular biochemical processes and both how they are affected by, and how they themselves affect cancer progression and development. In particular, my current research involves applying exciting new techniques to study the role of highly reactive biochemical molecules known as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in breast cancer.

Current research projects:

The development of a novel analytical probe to monitor reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) in living tumour tissue to study their role in cancer and to help personalise cancer treatment.

Previous research projects:

The innate immune kinase IKKε as a novel regulator of PSAT1 and serine metabolism – PhD thesis, Barts Cancer Institute - Queen Mary, University of London (http://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/44685)Investigation into the metabolism of anti-cancer prodrugs, SS04 & MM58, by recombinant Matrix Metalloproteinases 2, 3, 9, 10, 14 & 15. – BSc final year project, University of Bradford

My research interests lie in improving the delivery of drugs and large therapeutic molecules such as DNA and siRNA for the treatment of incurable diseases such as genetic disorders and cancer, through designing and developing novel non-viral gene delivery vectors and understanding their interactions with cellular membranes. A recent study involved the administration of such vectors to the brain via convection enhanced delivery (CED) for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

I have been particularly interested in optimising gene delivery vectors through understanding their structure and physicochemical properties and correlating it to their biological activity, intracellular trafficking, interaction with biological membranes, and ability to overcome cellular barriers.These structure activity relationship studies have been probed using a wide array of techniques such as light scattering, small angle neutron scattering (SANS), neutron reflectivity, circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy, imaging techniques such as confocal and electron microscopy; and biological testing to determine gene transfection, knockdown, toxicity and cell permeability both in-vitro and in-vivo.

Currently, I am interested in understanding the interaction between gene delivery vectors with endosomal membranes (the main barrier to DNA delivery) and designing novel molecules that act as helper lipids to help overcome those barriers and aid DNA entry into the cell nucleus. 

I am interested in the delivery of drugs and particles to the nose and lungs, particularly the use of in vivo-reflective in vitro cell culture models of the airway epithelium; the barrier to drug absorption (https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1ZJjQ6JBqDSIo7). My interest in this area of pulmonary biopharmaceutics began in 1991; having worked on the Caco-2 cell culture model of the intestine I was interested in developing a similar model of the nose and/or lung. Most recently, our group has been studying the effect of mucus on airway drug absorption using two mucus-secreting cell lines (SPOC-1 and UNC-NT3) and the absorption of drugs from nanoparticles. In addition, I am interested in the role of mucociliary clearance on airway drug delivery, particularly the effect of formulation variables on this primary defence mechanism of the nose and lung. More recently I have also become interested in the bioavailability of inhaled drugs in children and adults and how this can be optimised.

I research in cochlear physiology and biophysics. Cochlear micromechanics, energy production and propagation in the cochlea which makes the cochlea a perfect frequency analyser with enormous dynamic range are my primary research questions. I am involved in research on interaction between different types of cochlear sensory and supporting cell. Understanding of this interaction is a prerequisite for successful treatment of hearing disorders. I study generation and propagation of optoacoustic emissions. Otoacoustic emissions are widely used in clinics for objective assessment of hearing in patients and knowledge of the mechanisms of emission generation is a matter of great importance. I am interested not only in basic mechanisms of hearing but also in applied research which helps to diagnose and cure hearing disorders. My work on novel mechanisms of cochlear excitation through the round window of the cochlea provides theoretical and practical design principles for the development of new types of hearing aids. I am involved in development of methods for drug delivery into the cochlea.

As part of the Diabetes Research Group, my research interests are focused on improving our understanding of the disease mechanisms in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and on the development of novel therapeutic approaches to improve the quality of life of patients with these conditions. Our Type 1 diabetes research focuses on improving current islet transplant protocols and developing novel sources of insulin-producing cells for cell replacement therapy. Our Type 2 diabetes research focuses on new approaches to working with obese and overweight individuals to help them balance their metabolism and prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes.

The Diabetes Research Group (DRG) made a programme for BBC Inside Out - South East about developing a new treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes involving the transplantation of isolated insulin-producing beta cells. This programme was broadcast on 27 February 2017.

https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/admin/files/6128556/Diabetes_Type_1_Compressed.mov   Current Research Projects Islet transplantation therapy in Type 1 Diabetes (as part of the UK Islet Transplant Consortium)Targeting beta cell hypoxia in islet transplantation and pancreatic cancerBiomimetic 3-dimensional culture of insulin-producing cell clustersCombating obesity through improved patient education and tailored exercise programsUse of continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) technology in obese, overweight and at- risk individuals to aid in the prevention of type 2 diabetesUnderstanding non-compliance in young Type 1 Diabetes patientsCreation and Validation of Clinically Reflective Human Models of Pancreatic Islets

Dr Louise Mackenzie is an in vitro pharmacologist who works on numerous projects involved with molecular mechanisms that underpin numerous disease states, such as nuclear receptors involved in inflammation.

Her background has been to study vasoactive compounds that control vascular function, but more recently she has worked in multi-disciplinary groups to screen for drugs that control pancreatic diseases, both diabetes and cancer.

Ion channels are transmembrane spanning proteins that allow the passage of ions from one side of the membrane to the other. These macromolecular proteins play critical roles in numerous physiological functions, such as controlling neuronal excitability. However, abnormal functioning of ion channels can cause disorders including epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, ataxia and cancer. My lab uses a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the molecular basis of, and developing therapies for, a spectrum of diseases arising from ion channel dysfunction. This includes research into elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind traditional herbal medicines, particularly the discovery of novel small molecule activators. Other interests include investigating the relationship between channel-transporter or “chansporter” interactions, and how these complexes can be influenced by the metabolic environment, and investigating fungal potassium channels as a strategy for future antifungal therapies.   

My main area of research interest is in the chemistry of human ageing including

Synthetic chemistry for the discovery and evaluation of compounds that intervene in and remediate age-related degenerative processesDiscovery and design of compounds that abrogate the negative effects of cellular senescenceBioanalytical evaluation of age related changes

My research is focused on the chemical analysis of, and intervention in, ageing processes. Building on postdoctoral experience in mechanistic enzymology (where I discovered the first catalytic antibody lactamase generated in response to a synthetic compound), I developed the first mathematical model to explain why some, but not all, tissues in Werner’s Syndrome patients show a premature degenerative phenotype.  My work has since progressed to using experimental models to investigate putative causal mechanisms of ageing. 

My EPSRC/BBSRC SPARC funded project resulted in the first demonstration that age-related chemical changes in Drosophila are consistent with the “Green Theory” of ageing. More, recently we demonstrated that the highly-publicised postulated anti-ageing compound, Resveratrol, causes premature cellular senescence in primary cells in vitro.  

My latest research includes the development of a simple synthesis of novel “Resveralogues”. We are now evaluating our panel of over 40 compounds, in collaboration with multiple international laboratories, to determine the chemical features underlying the beneficial activities of stilbene molecules whilst abrogating the detrimental ones. The structure-activity relationships (SAR) we have developed are now informing our second generation compound designs.

With my research team and collaborators, I am interested in development of novel approaches towards measurement.

My research has been focused on the development of tools and resources that can study biological signalling molecules that play key roles in influencing the central nervous system and periphery. Such sensor devices offer advantages over other analytical approaches and biochemical assays, as they can study signalling in real-time from live cells/tissues. We have utilised our electrode devices to understand how transmitters change with age in the central and enteric nervous system. 

Another area that we have applied our approaches to is in the monitoring of the efficacy of drug administation to hypotensive babies. At present pharmaceutical drugs are regulated as manufactured, but often require dilution on the ward to obtain a suitable dose for the baby. This diluted drug is not as well regulated and little is known about its stability in various ward conditions. Our work focused on monitoring of drug concentrations to understand how these changes might impact the development of baby.

Finally, we have been interested in enhancing the student learning experience and providing educational activities that can be utilised to enhance student employability. We have developed novel learning and teaching approaches using electronic technologies that have had impact in the classroom and laboratory classes. 

I am interested in how students develop as learners and how Biomedical Scientists become competent and confident professionals.

I am also investigating the use of Point of Care testing in microbiology.  

I am currently working on evaluating potential antimicrobial agents in mucous collected from molluscs

My research focuses on how the human body tolerates or adapts to environmental extremes, whether that be cold, heat or altitude. This can have a number of applications such as the use of altitude training for elite athletes, to hypoxic exposure as a means of weight loss, through to repeated extreme heat exposure potentially causing cellular damage in Fire Instructors. The work of our Environmental Extremes Research Group can be found here.

At present I am working on a number of projects with UK and international firefighters on reducing the health impact of severe thermal and contaminant exposure. Information on the current and past projects can be found here.

I am a neuroscientist who studies the molecular biology, cellular biology and biophysics of the normal function and dysfunction of the cochlea in relation to its role in hearing and deafness. I have studied cochlear mechanisms involved in echolocation by bats. I also investigate acoustic behaviour and the physiology of the auditory system by mosquitoes.

My research is in the field of biomaterials and tissue engineering with current focus on functional tissue and organ replacement strategies for kidney, liver and eye. I am interested in the replacement of tissues and organs using nanostructured adsorbent and smart polymer materials which can be modified with bioactive molecules to improve biocompatibility and functional performance. I am interested in better understanding the mechanisms that impact the cell-biomaterial interface and in the development of functional biomaterials for cell guidance, the control of infection, inflammation and oxidative stress. Such materials may be used for example, to improve the removal of inflammatory molecules and bacterial toxins which current limit the efficacy of dialysis for kidney and liver disease, as enterosorbents to slow the progression of liver disease, in the development of a wearable artificial kidney and in the development of corneal and lens replacement strategies for ophthalmic tissue engineering. Working within international networks of academic, clinical and industrial partners, I have led research projects funded by UK NIHR i4i (DART and ADEPT), EU FP7 IAPP (ACROBAT), EU Horizon 2020 (CARBALIVE), British Council GII (NOMAD) and UKRI MRC (MXene for accomodating IOL) funding streams.

Brighton and Sussex Universities Food Network (research)

https://bsufn.wordpress.com/tag/dipak-sarker/

Researchgate

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dipak_Sarker

linked In

http://linkedin.com/in/dipak-sarker-a4974845‎

CORE Membership at Brighton Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Devices (CRMD) Centre for Stress and Age-Related Disease (CSARD)

Current research projects

I am currently involved in looking into a number of themes, including ageing as a risk factor for COPD and CAA and the effects that senescent cells may contribute to these diseases.

Pathogenicity of Klebsiella pneumoniae and its associated virulence factors in cases of clinical disease and endotheliitis.Effects of natural lignans and polyphenol compounds; such as curcumin, Quercetin, resveratrol on senescence and ageing.Does senescence play a role in mucin secretion in patients with COPD.Development of a novel cells line for testing drug delivery for new COPD treatments.

Previous research projects

Immortalisation and characterisation of canine gingival cells.Is the lifespan in a long-lived mutant mouse strain limited by cell senescence.Construction of a well differentiated cell line from human corneal endothelium.Use of telomerase immortalisation to develop human islet b-cell lines safe for transplantation.

I am a neurobiologist with research interests in the sensory mechanisms underlying animal behavioural diversity. I am currently studying the auditory physiology, acoustic behaviour and evolution of hearing in both vertebrate and invertebrate species. I have a particular interest in the development of novel behavioural paradigms that could lead to the integration of ethological observation with its neurophysiology.

Stress responses and translational control of antibiotic production by Streptomyces bacteria

We are presently focussing on understanding how Streptomyces bacteria respond to environmental stress at the level of gene expression and how they control the gene clusters that encode production of so-called ‘secondary metabolites’, which include the majority of antibiotics in clinical use since the 1940s. We are exploiting genomics technologies within Brighton Genomics to understand, at a global level, how the biological systems are regulated, both at the level of transcription and translation.

The main aim of this research project is to understand how key genes are controlled at the level of translation in this complex group of soil bacteria. To date most studies of gene expression have focussed on studying transcription, the production of mRNAs. However, a new technique called ‘ribosome profiling’ (Ribo-seq) enables us to measure the level of translation of all mRNAs. This gives us a very different picture of gene expression and, importantly, reveals that the control of gene expression at the level of translation is far more widespread than we realised. Our goal is to determine the molecular processes which orchestrate this control by identifying the RNA-binding proteins and RNA molecules which co-ordinate the regulation. We currently know very little about how these processes operate in bacteria.

We also collaborate with GlaxosmithKline (UK) on the translational control of commercially important natrual products.

I am interested in the chemical modification of proteins and developing methods to characterise such modifications. Protein modification can have significant effect on protein function and consequently biochemical outcome. Attempts to characterise the site of modification can be challenging due in part to the complexity of the sample. Protein modification can result from either enzymatic post-translational modification (phosphorylation, ubiquitination, methylation, etc.) or non-enzymatic chemical modification with reactive metabolites (Michael additions, oxidation, reactive drug metabolite adducts).

My interests have recently focused on non-enzymatic chemical modifications of proteins by reactive metabolites, for example catecholamines and catechol oestrogen metabolites and their implications in diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer. Current strategies are to develop methods to capture/enrich these modifications from biological sources, such as cell media, for analysis by mass spectrometry, to verify and optimise the methods using in vitro samples and to use these methods for global screening of biological samples such as tissue, blood and urine. The hope is that these protein modifications can serve as prognostic markers of disease which in turn can be translated to a clinical biochemistry setting. Other interests include protein modification/immobilisation to create novel biomaterials and biocatalysts and the recent discovery of amelogenin peptides from tooth enamel to enable sexing of archaeological samples using nanoLC-MS.

My research interest is on the cross-talk between host and microbiota. 

I am currently investigating Candida albicans immunomodulation in the progression of inflammatory skin diseases and chronic wounds’ healing.

I also collaborate with Professor F. Kern’s group in Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) on the study of immune responses to chronic Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in older people and its role in immune-ageing and disease.

David Timson is a protein biochemist.  His research focuses on understanding how the structures of proteins influence their functions, with particular relevance to those proteins implicated in human disease and in biotechnology.  Current research areas include:

1.  Proteins of human galactose metabolism and how they are affected by the inherited metabolic disease, galactosemia.

2.  Calcium binding proteins and metabolic enzymes from helminth parasites.

3.  Quinone oxidoreductases

4.  Stress mitigation in biofuel production

5.  The biochemistry underlying fetal alcohol specturm disorders (collaboration led by Prof Paul Gard)

Dr Mark Yeoman and his research team are interested in the basic biology of CNS and gastrointestinal tract ageing with a specific focus on the roles played by stress, inflammation and replicative senescence in the ageing phenotype.

His research on the basic biology of ageing started in 1997 on joining the University of Brighton. The work initially built on his postdoctoral experience and utilised the pond snail, Lymnaea to examine the cell biology of CNS ageing. This work identified how age-related alterations in the firing frequency and synaptic connectivity of a pair of serotonergic neurons could account for the behavioural changes in feeding with increasing age. Most recently these changes in firing frequency have been linked to a switch in the mode of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. Because the neural networks that underlie the feeding behaviour in the pond snail are well understood, it is relatively easy to utilise this system to perform a top-down approach and relate changes in behaviour to alterations in the function of specific neurons. 

Another system in which this is starting to become possible is the mammalian lower bowel. The neural circuitry of the myenteric and submucosal plexi that control motility in the lower bowel are well described, providing the possibility of relating changes in function to defined alterations in the circuitry. We have shown that colonic motility and pellet output is reduced with age, and that this is associated with the impairment of a long lasting component of the contraction. Most recently the team has begun to become interested in the biology associated with the detrimental health effects of social isolation, in both invertebrate and vertebrate models. This work will focus on the detrimental effects that social isolation stress has on learning and memory formation.