I am a physiologist with expertise in endocrinology determining the roles of particular regulatory peptides in the normal functions of the gastrointestinal tract and in the development of gastrointestinal, renal and prostate cancers.
I am a biochemist-cell biologist, working on the growth factors of the gastrointestinal tract. My discovery that the activity of non-amidated gastrins is dependent on ferric ions has opened several avenues for the development of new therapies for colorect
My major goal for the past 20 years has been to understand how hormones such as gastrin stimulate the development of gastrointestinal cancer. One approach has been to define the intracellular signalling pathways by which gastrins enhance cell growth. Our discovery that iron is essential for the biological activity of gastrins may allow the development of novel therapies for colon cancer and iron overload.