Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Physiology and Pharmacology, PhD

University of Nottingham, the United Kingdom

Study options for this course

The award	How you will study	Study duration	Course start	Domestic course fees	International course fees
PhD	Full-time	3 - 4 years	September	find out	find out
MPhil	Full-time	2 - 3 years	September	find out	find out

About Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Physiology and Pharmacology, PhD - at University of Nottingham

School members form part of the Centre for Integrated Systems Biology and Medicine within the Institute of Clinical Research. Their aim is to use integrated systems approaches to answer questions of clinical relevance relating to:

Endothelium: mechanistic studies of endothelial function in health and disease; paracrine and autocrine regulatory roles of the endothelium, specifically the effects of vasoactive factors such as NO, EDHF, endothelins and VEGF, and their interactions with gap junctions.

Placenta: placental function in normal and complicated pregnancies (IUGR, pre-eclampsia, diabetes) including quantitation of diffusive conductance, angiogenesis and trophoblast turnover using design-based stereology; ex vivo perfusion and molecular markers are used to define barrier and angiogenesis function.

Neurohumoral Effectors: cardiovascular biology of angiotensins, vasopressin, novel peptides, purines, melatonin, and cannabinoids, in relation to vascular control, receptor mechanisms and post-receptor coupling.

Endotoxaemia: quantitative assessment of vasodilator and vasoconstrictor mechanisms in endotoxemia, including cardiovascular/metabolic interactions.

Energy Utilisation and Fatigue in Skeletal Muscle: the role of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC), and of intramuscular carbohydrate, creatine, carnitine and lipid, on muscle function and fatigue development during contraction.

Skeletal Muscle Atrophy and Growth: investigations of molecular events in skeletal muscle relating to atrophy, growth and contraction; skeletal muscle development.

Human Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism: studies of carbohydrate utilisation at rest and during exercise; alterations in substrate use in obesity, diabetes and varied meal patterns in relation to insulin sensitivity and thermogenesis; factors regulating appetite and nutrient intake.

Nutrient-Gene Interactions: the integrated effects of dietary fat and carbohydrate and dietary components, such as isothiocyanates, on the production, processing and actions of specific transcription factors that regulate gene expression.