SWTIRR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Emeritus Professor of Renal Medicine at King
- Professor
Bruce Hendry is Emeritus Professor of Renal Medicine at King's College London and Chair of the UK Renal Registry. He is a clinical nephrologist and renal cell biologist. He was trained in physiology at the University of Cambridge, receiving a PhD in cell membrane transport biology and an MD in membrane biophysics. He trained in medicine at the Universities of Oxford and London. His research has a focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of renal fibrosis and his clinical research interests include the development of new therapies for chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and renal disease in HIV patients.
Mark gained a PhD in cardiovascular pharmacology from the University of Edinburgh before moving to King's College London where he was a post-doctoral fellow in the renal research unit. He currently has an honorary contract with St Georges University of London, is co-chair of the Renal Scientists Working Party of the Renal Association. His long standing interest in intracellular signalling is currently focussed on renal pathology and paired with his expertise in fibrosis.
Mark gained his PhD in the field of cardiovascular pharmacology from the University of Edinburgh. He moved to London to join Professor Hendry's research group at King's College London. Initially as a Post-doctoral research fellow and later as a lecturer Mark worked on a number of projects including Endothelin receptors in renal epithelial cells and the role of the Ras GTPases in renal fibrosis. Mark moved to the Institute in 2002 and became the Scientific Director in 2007. In addition to his role at the Institute Mark is an honorary Reader at St George's University of London and CEO of Helier Scientific Ltd, a diagnostics company established to bring advances developed in the Institute to the market. Mark is also a committed member of the Renal Association where he currently sits on the council and the Research Committee, Mark is also the co-chair of the Renal Scientists'' Working Party. Mark is also an active member of the European Renal Cell Study Group and a regular attendee at the American Society for Nephrology‘s annual Kidney Week meeting.
Dr Phanish carried out his PhD at SWTIRR developing the field of tubular CCN research which has gained an international reputation and carries on at SWTIRR to this day. His clinical research includes diabetes, transplantation and biomarker development. Dr Phanish is an honorary senior lecturer at both St George's University of London and King's College London.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director ( Honorary )
Dr. hanish graduated with MBBS in India in 1993, came to the UK in 1997 after completing post-graduation in Internal Medicine. He trained in renal medicine at Coventry, Cardiff, Bangor, Guys Hospital, London and St Helier Hospital. He was appointed as consultant nephrologist at St Helier Hospital in 2007 and obtained Ph D in renal cell biology at the SW Thames Institute for Renal Research, St George's University of London in 2008.
He is a clinical lead for living donor kidney transplantation working closely with transplant teams at St Helier and St George's hospitals. Research interests include cell biology of renal fibrosis, understanding mechanisms of kidney scarring to develop new therapies, kidney transplantation, diabetic kidney disease and biomarkers.
Seema combined cellular and molecular biology with a patient study in order to investigate the regulation of the human proximal tubule protein K-Cadherin in renal transplant patients. She recruited over 60 transplant patients and after developing a collaboration with the pathology department of the University Medical Centre in Utrecht she performed a systematic study of renal K-cadherin expression and urinary K-cadherin excretion. She has given talks at the Renal Association annual meeting, the British Transplant Society and at the European Renal Study Group in Dublin.
Giulio became the seventh Kidney Fund Clinical Research Fellow in 2019. He completed his medical training in Turin, Italy before moving to the UK after gaining a broad training in renal clinical work and carrying out clinical research he made the leap into basic science bench research. He has developed in vitro models of acute kidney injury with a view to investigating early determinants of inflammatory or fibrotic outcomes. After only two months at SWTIRR, Giulio submitted an abstract to the ASN Kidney Week meeting in Washington DC in 2019.
Sarah completed her undergraduate degree at Portsmouth before coming to SWTIRR. Initially Sarah worked as an analytical scientist working on the London Life Population (LoLiPop) study mapping renal function in a multi-ethnic West London community. Sarah is currently K-cadherin project lead and student liaison officer. Sarah also acts as programme lead for Water Testing in collaboration with Helier Scientific Ltd.
Louise graduated from Newcastle University with an MB BS. She cut her research teeth at St George's working with Dr Debasish Banerjee. Her current project investigating dietary salt in transplant patients is very much in the same mould as that of her main supervisors Drs Pauline Swift and Beccy Suckling. Yet her works stands alone and her added interest in urinary biomarkers fits well with the work at SWTIRR.
Dr Nabi carried out his undergraduate work in Bangladesh before gaining a PhD in Chemistry in Germany. Ekram specialises in assay development including fluorescence assays, absorbance assays plasmon resonance and HPLC. He has developed new assays for renal injury and presented his work at UK national renal conferences.
Richard has been part of the fabric of the Institute before the very first brick was laid. A member of the original team, Richard was key to the negotiations and planning that brought about the establishment and building of the Institute. Richard's late wife Carole had been a patient of the Renal Unit at St Helier for over 30 years and together Richard and Carole believed a future cure would only come from research.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Physician
- Finance Director ( Honorary )
Steve is Consultant Physician (General Internal Medicine, Diabetes & Endocrinology) at Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. He is also Honorary Consultant Endocrinologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer at St George's, London. He was Director of R&D from 2008 -2016. Steve has engaged actively in clinical research throughout his career and has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications.
His research interests cover all long term complications of diabetes. Steve has a long association with the SW Thames Renal Institute from its early beginnings and has been a vocal advocate for the Institute. He has been a keen supporter raising funds which over the years has included running the London Marathon and fire-walking!
Pritpal studied medicine at Birmingham University before undertaking is specialist training in Nephrology in the South London Deanery. Pritpal has an interest in the EDA splice variant of fibronectin and renal fibrogenesis. In collaboration with Ionis Pharmaceuticals he designed and carried out a pre-clinical trial of RNAse H independent ASO targeting fibronectin splicing in acute to chronic injury. He has presented his work both nationally and internationally.
Robert Price BSc,PhD, DSc, professor emeritus, King's College London. Professor Price obtained his BSc and PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Cardiff before moving to the University of London in the early 1960s. His eminent academic career spanned five decades and included time as a Fulbright scholar at the Joslin Clinic, Harvard University. As an academic, an innovator and an entrepreneur Professor Price supervised and mentored scores of students and continues to be an active educator and researcher in his ninths decade.
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Scientist
Sarah completed her undergraduate degree at Portsmouth before coming to SWTIRR. Initially Sarah worked as an analytical scientist working on the London Life Population (LoLiPop) study mapping renal function in a multi-ethnic West London community. Sarah is currently K-cadherin project lead and student liaison officer. Sarah also acts as programme lead for Water Testing in collaboration with Helier Scientific Ltd.
Sarwat is key to keeping the doors of SWTIRR open for business. She is administrator, bookkeeper and friendly face to the outside world. All this done part-time, while she fills the rest of her week as fundraiser for the Kidney Fund.