Dr Naila Rabbani
TITLE(Previously Naila Ahmed) CONTACT
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RESEARCH PROFILEMulti-disciplinary, working in the field of disease mechanisms - particularly in the study of damage to the proteome by glycation, oxidation and nitration, related enzymatic countermeasures and other metabolic dysfunction. Diseases under current investigation are: vascular complications of diabetes, renal failure and ageing ¯ particularly nephropathy and cardiovascular disease. Using systems approach to model dysfunctional lipid metabolism caused by abnormal post-translational lipoprotein modification. Therapeutic problems under current investigation are: high dose thiamine therapy for the prevention of diabetic nephropathy and Nrf2 activators for health benefit. Mechanistic biomarker discovery: for metabolic, vascular and joint health. |
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BACKGROUNDI entered academic life as a mature student in 1995. After graduating in Biological and Medicinal Chemistry, I pursued pre-doctoral research improving analytical methods to identify and quantify markers of protein damage by glycation, oxidation and nitration. Damage to proteins of these types is important in mechanisms of chronic and degenerative disease mediating impairment of structural, catalytic and regulatory proteins. I gained skills and experience in mass spectrometry (LC−MS/MS stable isotopic dilution analysis of amino acids and related glycated, oxidised and nitrated derivatives, and proteomics) mammalian cell culture, pre-clinical animal pharmacology and clinical studies − working with colleagues within the host research team and with several national and international collaborating research groups. I have supervised 4 PhD students, published 76 peer-reviewed articles and 90 conference papers − h-index 31; and I have filed 5 patents. In my post-doctoral research, I continued studies developing LC-MS/MS techniques for comprehensively and quantitatively screening for protein damage in models of disease mechanisms and clinical studies and became world leaders in this field - supported by Welcome Trust. With advanced proteomics techniques, I identified proteins and sites within proteins susceptible to damage by glycation − particularly glycation by the reactive dicarbonyl methylglyoxal (MG): albumin, haemoglobin, lens crystallins and type IV collagen. Markers of damage to albumin and haemoglobin are of diagnostic relevance as markers of glycaemic control and risk of vascular disease development in diabetes. I studied markers of protein damage in clinical and experimental diabetes and diabetic complications, endstage renal disease and dialysis, cirrhosis, Alzheimer?s disease, ageing, arthritis and thermally processed foodstuffs. Damage to lens crystallins and type IV collagen is important mechanistically in the development of cataract and vascular disease, respectively. I gained national and international recognition of my work because of its original, insightful approach. Since April 2007, I have co-directed the Protein Damage and Systems Biology Research Group in Warwick Medical School with Professor Paul J. Thornalley. I specialise in preclinical and clinical studies of protein damage and the anti-stress gene response in disease mechanisms, diagnostics and therapeutics − with spin-off therapeutics development (high dose thiamine therapy for diabetic vascular complications). My current research focus is investigations of damage to lipoproteins and influence of dietary bioactive compounds on lipoprotein synthesis, damage and metabolism - supported by the BHF and BBSRC. My core research project is a study of dicarbonyl glycation of apolipoprotein B100 of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and its importance in dyslipidaemia in diabetes and ageing. This includes use of mathematical models in a systems biology approach to predict consequences of change in lipoprotein function in lipoprotein metabolism following glycation. Improved understanding is also available from studies of high density lipoprotein (HDL) damage in dyslipidaemia and atherosclerosis in diabetes and ageing. I am supervising two post−doctoral research fellows to study physiological damage and functional impairment to HDL − a BHF funded project grant. |
TEACHING PROFILECourses Taught
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My Profile last updated: 17/05/2013 |
