About
I have worked in the laboratory of Professor Shirazi-Beechey for the past 19 years, focusing on comparative intestinal physiology. My primary interests lie in the digestive and absorptive processes surrounding sugar and amino acid absorption, as well as nutrient sensing in the intestine. My work has involved a variety of mammalian species and various fish species, focusing on gene expression studies related to intestinal disease, dietary supplementation (including artificial sweeteners), dietary manipulation, and the regulation of nutrient transporters.
In my current project, I am assessing the response of a bovine heterologous expression system to nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners.
I have previously investigated fish gut digestive and absorptive processes during development and in response to dietary change. This project was an industrial funding initiative focused on the gut reactions of farmed fish, such as rainbow trout and common carp, to changes in dietary composition. The experimental fish species, zebrafish, was also used to investigate the regulatory processes involved in these responses. I have also been involved in a project investigating the effect of artificial sweetener supplementation on the composition of microbiota in the swine gut.
I am a Public Governor on the Council of Governors for Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2019-) and previously Lead Governor (April 2020 - Nov 2022).
https://www.uhliverpool.nhs.uk/about-us/council-governors/council-governors.