I am part of the Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine at King’s College London and the BHF National Centre for Regenerative Medicine. I have a BSc Sports Science (Physiology), First Class, and PhD entitled ‘Myocyte Death and Renewal in Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle’ supervised by Prof. David F. Goldspink, at Liverpool JM University. I carried out a post-doc (2003-2007), funded by the American Heart Association, in the lab of Dr Bernardo Nadal-Ginard at New York Medical College and then Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NYC, USA. I integrated back into the EU through a Marie Curie International Re-integration grant in 2008.
My research focuses on understanding the role of tissue-specific stem cells in the homeostasis and regeneration of striated (skeletal and cardiac) muscle, for repair and maintenance of muscle tissue, particularly preventing and treating a loss of muscle mass (i.e. with ageing and/or disease). My research has been at the forefront of pioneering research on adult-derived cardiac stem cells since its inception and has made a seminal contribution in the paradigm-shifting work to establish the adult heart as a self-renewing organ with regenerative capacity. I have extensive expertise in cardiac stem cell biology and regeneration, including the development of novel animal models of muscle damage-regeneration.