Research Departments - Ischaemia and Shock Research

William Harvey Medical Research Foundation

Ischaemia and Shock Research

The research within the "Ischaemia and Shock Research Group" at the William Harvey Research Institute aims to gain a better understanding of disorders which are associated with a reduction in blood flow (ischaemia) to a specific organ. These disorders include myocardial infarction, stroke, circulatory shock and renal failure to name but a few. The goal of our research is to design novel therapies which reduce the detrimental consequences of ischaemia-reperfusion injury of e.g. the heart and, hence, to improve outcome. Novel therapies, which are currently under investigation, are e.g. (i) small, cell-membrane permeable radical scavengers, (ii) inhibitors of the activation of certain transcription factors which play a role in local and systemic inflammation (e.g. nuclear factor kappa-B), (iii) inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) synthetase (PARS). To gain a better insight into the above diseases, we use a great variety of scientific techniques from a variety of disciplines including pharmacology, biochemistry and molecular biology. If you are interested in our research, please contact c.thiemermann@mds.qmw.ac.uk