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Dr Robin N. Poston

Honorary Reader

Centre: Microvascular Research

Email: r.poston@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0) 20 7882 3892

Profile

Robin Poston is an academic pathologist who studied Medicine at Cambridge University and the Middlesex Hospital, London, and spent many years in the Medical School at Guy’s Hospital, (now part of King’s College London). He focussed on atherosclerosis research, and made the original observations indicating that adhesion molecules attract blood leukocytes to human atherosclerotic plaques.  

Robert Poston is a Principal Investigator at the Centre for Microvascular Research.

Research

Binding and oxidation of LDL by the endothelium in atherosclerosis

Although the oxidation of LDL has been classically associated with macrophages, endothelial cells are also capable, and the important function of ox-LDL is in targeting and activating endothelial cells towards atherosclerotic processes. With support from the William Harvey Research Foundation, we have new evidence of the association of ox-LDL with the endothelium, in human atherosclerosis, in cultured endothelial cells, and in the periphery in an animal model of hyperlipidaemia. We wish to find the mechanisms of this oxidation, and determine its role in atherosclerosis. A research grant application is currently being submitted to the British Heart Foundation by Dr Poston and Professor Nourshargh.  

CD36 inhibitors and treatment of the metabolic syndrome

Dr Poston is a co-founder of a biotech company, Arteria (France), which has developed as series of low molecular weight CD36 inhibitors. CD36 is a scavenger receptor implicated in atherosclerosis, and is also a lipid transporter involved in the induction of insulin resistance in Type II diabetes. In pre-clinical trials, these compounds have shown promise in the treatment of diabetes and atherosclerosis, and also have activity against heart failure. Clinical trials are currently being planned, and may be organised within the Barts and the London Hospital NHS Trust.

Key Publications

  • A Motterle, X Pu, H Wood, Q Xiao, S Gor, FL Ng, K Chan, F Cross, B Shohreh, RN Poston, AT Tucker, MJ Caulfield, S Ye. Functional analyses of coronary artery disease associated variation on chromosome 9p21 in vascular smooth muscle cells. Human Mol Genetics 2012: in press
  • S. Sayed, G.W. Cockerill, E. Torsney, R. Poston, M.M. Thompson, I.M. Loftus. Elevated tissue expression of thrombomodulatory factors correlates with acute symptomatic carotid plaque phenotype. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2009; 38: 20-25.
  • C Papadopoulou, V Corrigall, PR. Taylor, RN. Poston. The role of the chemokines MCP-1, GRO-?, IL-8 and their receptors in the adhesion of monocytic cells to human atherosclerotic plaques. Cytokine 2008; 43: 181–186.
  • RN Poston and DRM Poston. Typical atherosclerotic plaque morphology produced in silico by an atherogenesis model based on self-perpetuating propagating macrophage recruitment. Math. Model. Nat. Phenom. 2007; 2: 142-149.
  • S Collot-Teixeira, J Martin, C McDermott-Roe, R Poston, JL McGregor. CD36 and macrophages in atherosclerosis. Cardiovasc Res 2007; 75: 468-477.

Sponsors

Collaborators

Internal: Professor Carol Shoulders (WHRI); Dr Dianne Cooper (WHRI); Dr Egle Solito (WHRI); Professor Shu Ye (WHRI); Professor Graham Hitman (Blizard Institute).

External: Dr David Leake (University of Reading). 

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