Inflammation - Clinical Pharmocology

Molecular basis of cardiovascular disease.

The MRC BRIGHT Study (British Genetics of Hypertension Study in 6 UK centres to identify genetic loci responsible for hypertension, £2.1M over 5 years) is being co-ordinated by Dr Mark Caulfield (Senior Lecturer) in this Department.

Role of nitric oxide in vascular, inflammatory and infectious diseases.

Novel methods for measuring nitric oxide synthesis in man using 15N stable isotope techniques have allowed us to study the importance of this molecule in hypertension and, in the future will enable us to measure alterations in nitric oxide synthesis in a wide range of vascular, infectious and inflammatory conditions.

Human vascular pharmacology.

We have extensive experience of measurement of changes in forearm blood flow with infusion of drugs in the brachial artery and in the dorsal hand vein technique. These methods have provided important information concerning the effects of drugs on human vasculature (Professor Nigel Benjamin and Dr Sharon O'Byrne).

The Department has considerable expertise in measurement of plasma drug concentrations and pharmacokinetic modelling, and provides analytical services for the NHS and many commercial and academic units (Dr Atholl Johnston).

This unit is newly built and will be fitted with centralised monitoring equipment for studies in healthy volunteers and ambulant patients (e.g. those with stable renal impairment). The unit has provision for screening services, overnight stay, recreation facilities and on-site blood and urine analysis.

The Department has considerable experience of hypertension treatment trials and has developed a database of hypertensive patients and is setting up a GP framework with local GPs to facilitate the study of this disease, as well as heart failure and ischaemic heart disease.