Staff in the School of Life
Sciences
|
Background
On completing his first B.Sc. degree
in science Derek worked for a biotechnology company for one
year, before moving to Bristol to take up a research post. He
worked on the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and the area
of the central stress response with Drs David Jessop & Mick
Harbuz in Professor Stafford Lightman’s Department University of
Bristol. After successfully completing his master’s
degree he moved to London, where he worked
towards his Ph.D. in the related area of adrenal physiology,
investigating how local neuropeptides influence the response of the
adrenal gland to factors such as stress. This work was
completed in the laboratory of Dr Joy Hinson at Queen Mary,
University of London (QMUL).
He completed a post-doctoral post in
the same laboratory supervising various adrenal projects whilst
moving into the area of tissue repair. He then worked for one
year on appetite regulation in relation to peripheral endocrine
hormones at University College London. Derek then returned to
QMUL to work in the area of inflammation with Professor Mauro
Perretti at the Department of Biochemical Pharmacology at
Charterhouse Square. Following his third post-doctoral
position, he was offered a lectureship at the University of
Westminster in the Department of Human & Health Sciences lead
by Jenny Mackenzie.
Research Interests
His research interests are in the area
of endocrine/immune interactions, particularly around the area of
inflammation. The interaction between long term chronic stress
conditions leading to pathology is a key interest of his. He
would like to investigate this area closer in the future and
particularly the interaction between stress mediators and leukocyte
phenotype.
Salivary biomarkers are also a key interest
of his. Saliva is currently used as an indicator of systemic
disease ie cortisol. This is possible due to an interaction
between the endocrine and immune systems, which allows us to assess
health in a non-invasive manner. He has recently
discovered an immune factor in saliva which may also be
glucocorticoid sensitive and is hoping may act as a second
indicator of health, with an emphasis on immune function.
Current Research / Ongoing Projects
Since moving to the University of
Westminster Derek is continuing to investigate an
anti-inflammatory protein, which he recently discovered in
human saliva. He is currently engaged in
researching the physiology of this protein. This protein displays a
diurnal rhythm, which correlated positively with salivary
cortisol. He is currently investigating which factors
regulate the secretion of this substance ie cortisol, DHEA
etc and trying to identify under which circumstances this protein
may be important ie is it upregulated during local or systemic
inflammatory disease.
Derek is currently assessing various aspects of the
glucocorticoid induced anti-inflammatory substances detailed
above. These projects include:
- Assessing whether cigarette smoke alters the levels of a known
anti-inflammatory substance in human saliva.
- Whether this anti-inflammatory substance is altered in patients
with oral gingival disease, in both inflammatory and
non-inflammatory conditions. We will sample saliva and
compare with healthy control individuals.
- Whether there are any direct anti-microbial effects of this
anti-inflammatory substance on common oral microbes.
- Investigating the regulators of this anti-inflammatory
substance by measuring levels of cortisol, and DHEA in patients
with Cushing’s syndrome and Addisons disease and see if this
explains the levels of our anti-inflammatory protein.
- Whether there is any upregulation of this protein in oral
cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma compared to health
controls.
Selected Publications
Renshaw D, Urquhart P, Perretti M. (2007)
Therapeutic exploitation of endogenous anti-inflammatory
mechanisms: old and new leads. Review. Current Medicinal Chemistry.
5 (4):289-305.
Schwarz N, Renshaw D, Kapas
S, Hinson JP (2006) Adrenomedullin increases the expression of
calcitonin-like receptor and receptor activity modifying protein 2
mRNA in human microvascular endothelial cells J. Endocrinol.,
190(2):505-14.
Kosti O, Raven PW, Renshaw D,
Hinson JP. (2006) Intra-adrenal mechanisms in the response to
chronic stress: investigation in a rat model of emotionality. J
Endocrinol. 189:211-8.
Renshaw D, Batterham RL.
(2005) Peptide YY and its role in feeding. Current Drug
Targets.;6:171-9.
Whitworth, Kosti O, Renshaw
D, Hinson JP. (2003) Adrenal neuropeptides, regulation and
interaction with ACTH and other adrenal regulators.
Microscopy Research and Techniques. Jun
15;61(3):259-67.
Vakharia K, Renshaw D, Hinson
JP. (2002). Bacterial lipopolysaccharide directly stimulates
cortisol secretion in human adrenal cells. Endocr
Res. Nov;28(4):357-61.
Conference Presentations or/and Other Publications
N/A
Awards and Grants
N/A
Research Groups / Key Appointments