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Professor Donald RJ Singer

Professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Division of Metabolic and Vascular Health

Clinical Sciences Research Institute
Warwick Medical School
University of Warwick
Coventry CV2 2DX, UK

donald.singer@warwick.ac.uk

Caroline Jawdoszak Tel: +44 2476 968 592

University Hospital, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry, CV2 2DX
Deirdre Prinsloo Tel: +2476 7696 6097

Research interests

Professor Singer is interested in
- drug discovery, vascular mechanisms and non-invasive biomarkers important for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease
- improving safety and effectiveness in use of medicines
His MD work concerned interactions between the renin-angiotensin system and the vaso-active and natriuretic family of cardiac peptides in blood pressure regulation and after heart transplantation. Interest in genetic mechanisms for cardiovascular disease has included studies of renal artery stenosis and of natriuretic peptide expression in the heart. His main current interest is in approaches to personalising medicines. Related research includes work on approaches to discovery of new treatments, the capillary microcirculation in cardiovascular health and disease, endothelial cell signalling and new biomarkers of cardiovascular risk.

Clinical interests

Professor Singer gained extensive experience of managing blood pressure from shared care initiatives with colleagues in general practice to tertiary management of idiopathic and secondary 'difficult' hypertension, while working within the Blood Pressure Units at Charing Cross & Westminster Hospital Medical School, London (1985-1989) and at St George's Hospital Medical School, London (1989-2003). He is currently working with academic and clinical colleagues in primary and secondary care to improve blood pressure services in Coventry, Warwick, Rugby, Nuneaton and the surrounding area. From 2006-9 he was a member of the Executive Committee of the British Hypertension Society. He also is interested in practical approaches to recognition and prevention of adverse drug reactions. He is a member of the national Health Technology Assessment programme Pharmaceuticals Panel.

Public understanding of medicines, health and disease

Professor Singer is interested in promoting better understanding of new treatments, and the benefits and risks of medicines. His national roles include membership of the External Affairs committee of the British Pharmacological Society. See news and comment from Singer in national and international media. In November 2009, with Michael Hulse he founded the annual International Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine, awards presented by James Naughtie, Dr Dannie Abse and NHS Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh at an International Symposium on Poetry and Medicine in April, 2010. The 2011 International Hippocrates Prize was judged by the first Welsh National Poet Gwyneth Lewis, journalist and broadcaster Mark Lawson, and Chairman of the RCGP Council Professor Steve Field CBE and were presented at the 2nd International Symposium on Poetry and Medicine on 7th May, 2011. Entries are open for the 2012 Hippocrates Awards, which will be judged by US poet and critic Marilyn Hacker, broadcaster Martha Kearney, and medical researcher Professor Rod Flower FRS. The 2012 Hippocrates Awards will be presented at the 3rd International Symposium on Poetry and Medicine on Saturday 12th May 2012. See Medicine and Poetry News.

Postgraduate research degrees offered

MSc by Research, MD, PhD

Recent research visits and workshops

Aug 2003 – Clinical Pharmacology , University of Vienna
Sep 2003 - Berlin - Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology Institute, Free University

July 2004 - Dean, Melbourne Medical School (Prof Jim Angus)
July 2004 - Dean, Sydney Medical School (Prof Andrew Coates)
Sep 2004 – Pharmacogenetics Division, Pfizer, Sandwich
Sep 2004 – MHRA pharmacovigilance centre, London
Dec 2004 - Karolinska, Stockholm (Prof Ingelman-Sundberg)
Dec 2004 - Department of Genetics and Pathology, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University (Professor Jan Dumanski)
Dec 2004 - WHO Medicines Monitoring Headquarters, Uppsala (Prof Ralph Edwards)

Jan 2005 – DeCODE, Icelandic Heart Association, University of Iceland Department of Philosophy, Iceland (Professor Arnason)
July 2005 – Dept of Cardiology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan (Professor Toyoaki Murohara)
July 2005 - Department of Endocrinology, 2^nd Medical & Dental University, Tokyo (Professor Yukio Hirata)
Sep 2005 - Karolinska, Stockholm (Prof Ingelman-Sundberg)
Sep 2005 - Department of Genetics and Pathology, Rudbeck Laboratory, Uppsala University (Professor Jan Dumanski)

Jan 2006 - Jilin University, China (Professor Wu)
Jan 2006 - Peking University
Mar 2006 - Peking University School of Medicine
Mar 2006 - China Nanotechnology Centre (China Academy of Sciences and Peking University)
Mar 2006 - Fudan University, Shanghai
Mar 2006 - Shanghai Jiao Tong University Cardiovascular Centre
Mar 2006 - Shanghai Jiao Tong University Tissue Engineering Centre
Mar 2006 - Zhejiang University Medical School
Sep 2006 - Boston University Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, MIT Broad Centre
Sep 2006 - Emory University and Moorhouse University, Atlanta
Dec 2006 - Nagoya University

Feb 2007 - Boston University Medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, MIT
Feb 2007 - Duke University, North Carolina
Oct 2007 - Angiotensin Gordon Research Conference, Aussois, France
Oct 2007 - MIT, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA; Boston University

Feb 2008 - Angiotensin Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, California
Jun 2008 - MIT, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA; Boston University
Jul 2008 - North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

Nov 2009 - Nagoya University Medical School, Japan
Nov 2009 - Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, Tokyo
Dec 2009 - Microsoft European Headquarters, Brussels

Feb 2010 - Angiotensin Gordon Research Conference, Ventura, California
Apr 2010 - International Symposium on Poetry and Medicine, Warwick
Oct 2010 - Boston re Boston University-University of Warwick joint research
Nov 2010 - Nagoya University - workshop with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Peking University and University of Vienna

Mar 2011 - 3rd International Symposium on Personalising Medicine, Warwick
May 2011 - 2nd International Symposium on Poetry and Medicine, London
June 2011 - 10th Congress of the European Association for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Budapest
July 2011 - Symposium on Exercise and Cardiovascular Health, London

Selected Publications

1. WE Harrison, AJ Mellor, J Clark, DRJ Singer. Vasodilator pre-treatment of human radial arteries: comparison of effects of phenoxybenzamine vs. papaverine on norepinephrine-induced contraction in vitro. Eur Heart J 2001;22: 2209-2216.
2. Missouris, CG, Swift, PA, Singer DRJ. Cocaine use and acute left ventricular dysfunction. Lancet 2001;357:1586.
3. Antonios, TFT, Kaski, JC, Hasan, K, Brown, SJ, Singer, DRJ. Rarefaction of skin capillaries in patients with anginal chest pain and normal coronary angiograms. Eur Heart J 2001;22:1144-8
4. VF Puddy, VF, Amirmansour C, Williams AF, Singer DRJ. Plasma brain natriuretic peptide as a predictor of haemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus in preterm infants. Clinical Science 2002; 103:75-7.
5. Singh N, Graves J, Taylor P, MacAllister RJ, Singer DRJ. Effects of a 'healthy' diet and of acute and long-term vitamin C on vascular function in healthy older subjects. Cardiovasc Res. 2002;56:118-25.
6. Khong TK, Singer DR. Adverse drug reactions: current issues and strategies for prevention and management. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2002;3:1289-300.
7. Singh N, Prasad S, Singer DRJ, MacAllister RJ. Ageing is associated with impairment of nitric oxide and prostanoid dilator pathways in the human forearm. Clin Sci. 2002;102:595-600.
8. Singer DRJ, Singh N. Left ventricular mass, arterial compliance and high risk of coronary heart disease in South Asians. Int J Cardiol. 2002;83:9-11.
9. Singer DRJ, Hasan K. Homocysteine and other new risk factors for central retinal vein occlusion: new challenges for the internal medicine physician. Eur J Intern Med. 2002;13:160-162.
10. Antonios TF, Rattray FM, Singer DR, Markandu ND, Mortimer PS, MacGregor GA. Rarefaction of skin capillaries in normotensive offspring of individuals with essential hypertension. Heart. 2003;89:175-8.
11. Hussain, MB, Singhal S, Markus HS, Singer DRJ. Abnormal vasoconstrictor responses to angiotensin II and noradrenaline in isolated small arteries from patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). Stroke 2004; 35:853-8.
12. Kelsall CJ, Chester AH, Amrani M, Singer DRJ. C-type natriuretic peptide relaxes human coronary artery bypass grafts preconstricted by endothelin-1. Ann Thorac Surg. 2005 Oct;80(4):1347-51. Commentary on CNP paper
13. Puntmann VO, Hussain MB, Mayr M, Xu Q, Singer DRJ. Role of oxidative stress in angiotensin-II mediated contraction of human conduit arteries in patients with cardiovascular disease. Vascul Pharmacol. 2005 Oct;43(4):277-82.
14. Hussain MB, Puntmann VO, Mayr M, Khong T, Singer DRJ. The role of oxidant stress in angiotensin II-mediated contraction of human resistance arteries in the state of health and the presence of cardiovascular disease. Vascul Pharmacol. 2006;2006 Dec;45(6):395-9. Jun 14; [Epub ahead of print]
15. CJ Kelsall, AH Chester, P Sarathchandra, DRJ Singer. Expression and localization of C-type natriuretic peptide in human vascular smooth muscle cells. Vascular Pharmacology 2006;Dec;45(6):368-73. Epub 2006 Jun 22.
16. Kou B, Vatish M, Singer DR. Effects of Angiotensin II on human endothelial cells survival signalling pathways and angiogenic response. Vascul Pharmacol. 2007 Aug 11; [Epub ahead of print] doi:10.1016/j.vph.2007.06.011
17. Singer, DRJ, Kite, A. Management of hypertension in peripheral arterial disease: does the choice of drugs matter? European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 2008;35;701-708. doi:10.1016/j.ejvs.2008.01.007
18. Kou B, Zhang J, Singer DRJ. Xanthine Oxidase Interaction with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Human Endothelial Cell Angiogenesis. Microcirculation. 2008;15:251-267. doi: 10.1080/10739680701651495
19. Donald RJ Singer. Nine decades for the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2008;84:2. doi:10.1136/pgmj.2007.067017
20. Kou B, Zhang J, Singer DRJ. Effects of cyclic strain on endothelial cell apoptosis and tubulogenesis are dependent on ROS production via NAD(P)H subunit p22phox. Microvascular Research. 2009;77:125-33.
21. Donald RJ Singer. Personalised Medicines. Pharmacology Matters special issue: Celebrating Charles Darwin. 2009;2(3):13. ISSN No: 1757-8175
22. TRJ Nicholson, A Gunarathne, DRJ Singer. Pocket Prescriber 2010. Hodder Education November, 2009.
23. Donald R J Singer, Michael Hulse. International Hippocrates prize for poetry and medicine. Postgrad Medical Journal. 2010;86:66-67. doi:10.1136/pgmj.2010.097527
24. DRJ Singer and M Hulse. The art of medicine. Poetry, medicine, and the International Hippocrates Prize. The Lancet 2010;375:976-977.
25. TRJ Nicholson, A Gunarathne, DRJ Singer. Pocket Prescriber 2010. Mobile version - www.skyscape.com June, 2010.
26. Singer, DRJ, Hulse, MW. Hippocrates Prize Awards. Postgrad Medical Journal.2010;86:(in press).
27. Hulse, MH, Singer, DRJ. Poetry and medicine. Lapidus Journal. 2010:(November:in press).
28. Singer, DRJ. Finding a niche with personalized generics: opportunities from systems-based therapeutic delivery in hypertension. Therapeutic Delivery 2010;1(5);683-691 (doi: 10.4155/tde.10.67)
29. Watkins J, Marsh A, Taylor PC, Singer, DRJ. Personalized medicine: the impact on chemistry. Therapeutic Delivery 2010;1(5);651-665 (doi: 10.4155/tde.10.64)
30. TRJ Nicholson and DRJ Singer. Pocket Prescriber 2011. Hodder Education Published: February, 2011.
31. DRJ Singer. Pharmacology of the future: a clinical perspective. Pharmacology Matters special issue: Pharma Futures. 2011;4(1):9-11. ISSN No: 1757-8175
32. DRJ Singer. The personal touch:progress in personalized medicine. Public Service Review. 2011;3:253-254.
33. DRJ Singer. Health Policy and Technology and the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Health Poloicy and Technology 2012;1:(in press).
34. Singer DRJ and Marsh A. Challenges and solutions for personalizing medicines. Health Policy and Technology 2012;1:(in press).
35. Singer DRJ. Sir Michael Rawlins and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Health Policy and Technology 2012;1:(in press).
36. TRJ Nicholson and DRJ Singer. Pocket Prescriber 2012. 304 pages. Hodder Arnold ISBN 10:1444163167. Publication date: 31st March, 2102.

Pending
31. New mechanisms for artery control
32. Non-invasive cardiovascular biomarkers
33. Drug target discovery
34. Reducing vascular risk
35. Unsafe medicines
36. Cardiovascular co-morbidity
37. Clinical genetics

Research group

Feb 2003 - Jan 2005: Christopher Kelsall PhD (jointly with Dr Adrian Chester, Imperial College)

Sep 2003 - Apr 2006: Frances Taggart PhD, Hon. Research Fellow
Feb 2004 - May 2006 : Baijun Kou PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow
Mar 2004 - Dec 2007 : Carly Hayman, PA, WMS

Oct 2005 - : Dr Daniel Mitchell, RCUK Lecturer in Pharmacogenomics

May 2005 - May 2006: Prof Ni Jinsong, Warwick Visiting Chinese Fellowship
Sep 2005 - :Dr Htet Htet Win, Hon. Clinical Fellow

Jan 2007 - : Catherine Butcher, Research Technician

Jun 2007 - : Dr Sharmila Madhogaria, ST3 Trainee in Dermatology
Oct 2007 - : Dr Mitra Shahverdi, PhD (Pharmacy)

Oct 2007 - : Katherine Casey-Green, PhD Student (jointly with Dr A Marsh, Chemistry)

Oct 2007 - : Zara Locke, Medicinal Chemistry Student

Nov 2007 - : Dr Junlong Zhang, PhD Assistant Professor

Dec 2007 - : Samantha Bingen, PA, WMS

Dec 2007 - Aug 2010: Dr Ashan Gunarathne, ST3 Post in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Dec 2007 - : Geraldine Ward, Hypertension Research Nurse (jointly with Professor FP Cappuccio)
2009 & 2010: John Watkins - Warwick URSS Scholarship student
Jan 2009 - July 2009: Dr James Fullerton, Academic FY1 in Medicine
Jan 2009 - July 2010: Dr David Dutton, Academic FY2 in Medicine

Recent higher degrees supervised

Dr Tarek Antonios MD 1999: Microcirculation in cardiovascular disease.
Dr Wendy Harrison. PhD 2002: Acute effects of glucose on vascular function
Dr Nivi Singh MD 2002: Vascular function and ageing
Dr Khaled Hasan PhD 2002: Capillary Rarefaction: Importance in Cardiovascular Risk and Response to Treatment
Dr Valentina Puntmann-Giacomelli PhD December, 2003: Oxygen species and angiotensin II induced effects in conduit arteries
Kate Casey-Green Oct 2007- : Chemical genomics for new therapeutic target discovery.

Languages

German, French, Italian

Media

Media features

Committee memberships

Former

Member, University of Warwick Senate (2004 - 2006)
Member, Warwick Medical School External Faculty Advisory Board (2004 - 2007)
Member, Executive Committee, British Hypertension Society (2006 - 2009)
Member, Executive Committee, British Pharmacology Society Clinical Pharmacology Section (Jan 2007 - Dec 2009)
Member, Meetings Committee, British Pharmacology Society (Jan 2007 - )
Member, British Pharmacology Society China Working Group (2007)
Member, Royal College of Physicians/BPS KBA Examiners Group for Clinical Pharmacology (July 2007 - )
Member, Royal College of Physicians/BHS KBA Examiners Group for Hypertension (Dec 2007 - )
Member, Steering Committee, World Pharmacology Congress 2010

Current

Chair, WMS Information Group
Member, University of Warwick e-Learning Committee
Member, University of Warwick Information Policy and Strategy Committee
Member, Area Prescribing Committee, Coventry and Warwickshire
Chair, Medicines Advisory Group, University Hospital
Vice-Chair, Drugs & Therapeutics Committee, University Hospital
Executive Committee, West Midlands Physicians' Association (Nov 2007 - )
Member, External Affairs Committee, British Pharmacology Society (Jan 2010 - )
Member, Heart Research UK Awards Panel (June 2010 - )
Member, Executive Committee, British Microcirculation Society
Chair, Committee of Heads of Clinical Pharmacology (Jan 2011 - )
President, Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine (Sep 2007 - )
Member, National Health Technology Assessment Pharmaceuticals Panel (June 2009 - )
UK Council Delegate and Secretary, Executive Committee, European Assocation for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (Jan 2011 - )

Collaborations

Local

Vascular biology: Chemistry, Surgery, Dermatology, Mathematics, Engineering
ADR Prevention: Chemistry, Pharmacy, Emergency Medicine, Dermatology, Warwick Evidence

External