Metabolic and Vascular Health

Victor Zammit
Head of Division of Metabolic and Vascular Health

The Division of Metabolic and Vascular Health focuses on the elucidation of mechanisms involved in the maintenance of health, and the aetiology of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases which account for the greatest incidence of morbidity globally

The translational research at the centre of the Division is highly relevant to the formulation of public health advice and the development of pharmacological and nutraceutical strategies.

The members of the Division are established researchers with expertise in the following areas:

Metabolic regulation, particularly relating to diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance and nutrient effects on vascular function
Analytical biochemistry and biomarker identification, particularly in the areas of circulating protein modification and nitric oxide metabolites
Signal transduction, particularly in the area of the relationship between endocrine signalling, inflammation and immune function
Cardiovascular epidemiology
Clinical trials and research into the delivery of patient care and self-management, particularly in diabetes
Transcriptional and translational control
Obesity-related sub-clinical inflammation
Cellular stress responses
Glycoprotein biology
Proteome dynamics

What is Metabolic and Vascular Disease?

These common and socio-economically important conditions affect an individual’s well-being not through infection but because of imbalances in the fuel availability or signals reaching tissues, ranging from the brain, to the liver and muscle, to fat tissue. They include conditions such as:

Diabetes and Obesity
Heart disease
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Hypertension

Renal failure
Inflammatory bowel syndrome
Sleep disturbances
Some forms of cancer

We conduct fundamental research into all of these often highly related conditions, which sometimes requires the use of specialised instrumentation.

Research Areas

The work of the division can be divided into three main areas:

Research News

Partnerships/Collaborations

The Division has strong working partnerships and collaborations, both within the university and externally, including:

The School of Life Sciences in the fields of food security and nutrition, infection, immunity and pancreatic function
The Department of Chemistry, particularly in the area of membrane-protein structure-function relationships
Warwick Systems Biology Centre through joint appointments to promote the systems analysis and modelling of the metabolic/signalling/transcriptional interactions involved in the mechanisms of disease processes
The Warwickshire Institute for the Study of Endocrinology and Metabolism (WISDEM)
Several major pharmaceutical companies through translational and clinical trial programmes aimed directly at influencing clinical practice

Contact

Caroline Jawdoszak
Divisional Secretary

Phone: +44 (0)247 696 8592
Email: c.jawdoszak@warwick.ac.uk