Natural Sciences faculty members Natural Sciences faculty members

Dr Stephen Ashworth - Head of Natural Sciences, Year in Industry and Year Abroad co-ordinator 

Stephen teaches modules in physics as part of the Natural Sciences Degree Programme and has supervised final year Natural Sciences projects.
See Stephen's full profile on the School of Chemistry website.

Dr Martin Loftus - Director of Learning & Teaching  

Martin teaches modules in astrophysics as part of the Natural Sciences Degree Programme and has supervised final year Natural Sciences projects in pulsars and galaxies.
See Martin's full profile on the School of Chemistry website.

Dr Mark Cooker - Natural Sciences Teaching Executive

Mark is a senior lecturer in the School of Mathematics. His research is in fluid dynamics, especially the mathematics of water wave impact and splashes. Mark lectures mathematicians and scientists in applied mathematics modules at all levels. He has also supervised project work in areas such as the diffusion of heat, acoustics, water-wave motion, liquid sloshing in containers, and impact.
See Mark's full profile on the School of Mathematics website.

Dr Steven Hayward and Dr Chris Greenman - Project co-ordinators

Steven graduated in Physics from the University of Bristol and gained a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Edinburgh.  His research focuses on protein structure, dynamics and function employing a variety of computational approaches including simulation and bioinformatics methods.  See Steven's full profile on the School of Computing Sciences website.

Chris has a mathematics degree from Durham University, and a mathematics PhD from the University of Edinburgh, utilizing number theory to study the spacing distributions of quantized harmonic oscillators.
See Chris's full profile on the School of Mathematics website.

Dr Adrian Matthews - Admissions Director

Adrian is a Professor of Meteorology and has a wide range of research interests, mainly in meteorology and oceanography with a focus on the tropics.  These include research into fundamental processes through observational data analysis and numerical modelling.

See Adrian's full profile on the School of Environmental Science website.

Dr Michael Wormstone - Coursework Director

Michael is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences. His research utilises human cells and tissue to study human eye disease. In particular, he is interested in wound-healing events that follow cataract surgery, which lead to a secondary visual loss. His laboratory aims to further our understanding of the cell and molecular mechanisms underpinning wound healing in the eye and identify novel targets for future therapeutic development.

See Michael's full profile on the School of Biological Sciences website.

Dr Garth Jones - Senior advisor & SSLC

Garth is a physical chemist who uses computational and theoretical techniques and is principally interested in excited state dynamics of molecules and light-molecule interactions. He develops mixed quantum-classical approaches to perform simulations of important processes in physical chemistry such as electron transfer, electronic energy transfer and photodissociation.
See Garth's full profile on the School of Chemistry website.

Dr Alex Baker - Year in Europe co-ordinator

Alex's research interests have developed into the fields of marine and atmospheric iodine biogeochemistry and the atmospheric transport of nutrients and trace metals and their impact on the marine carbon cycle. 
See Alex's full profile on the School of Environmental Science website.

Dr Susan Matthews - Pharmacy Research Projects Coordinator

Susan's research interests are at the interface of chemistry and biology focusing on the development of smart drug delivery systems.
See Sue's full profile on the School of Pharmacy website.

Dr Ben Milner - Natural Sciences Teaching Executive 

Ben teaches modules on sound and image processing and on electronics. He has supervised final year Natural Sciences projects on audio processing and in particular on estimating the fundamental frequency of musical instruments. 
See Ben's full profile on the School of Computing Sciences website.

Dr Tom Clarke - Chair of Exam Board

Tom teaches on modules in BIO and CHE as part of the biochemistry program and his research on mineral respiring bacteria covers multiple natural science disciplines including microbiology, chemistry and geology.
See Tom's full profile on the School of Biological Sciences website.

Career History

  • Senior Lecturer, University of East Anglia (2008-present)
  • The Humane Research Trust Lecturer, University of East Anglia (2002-2008)
  • Senior Research Associate - University of East Anglia (1997-2002)
  • PhD - University of East Anglia (1997)
  • BSc - Pharmacology, University of Portsmouth (1993)

All Publications

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Liu, H., Smith, A. J. O., Ball, S. S. R., Bao, Y., Bowater, R. P., Wang, N., Wormstone, I. M.

(2017)

Sulforaphane promotes ER stress, autophagy and cell death: implications for cataract surgery,

in Journal of Molecular Medicine

95

(5)

pp. 553–564

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Liao, X., Walden, G., Falcon, N. D., Donell, S., Raxworthy, M., Wormstone, M., Riley, G. P., Saeed, A.

(2017)

A direct comparison of linear and star-shaped poly(dimethylaminoethyl acrylate) polymers for polyplexation with DNA and cytotoxicity in cultured cell lines,

in European Polymer Journal

87

pp. 458–467

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Smith, A., Ball, S., Bowater, R., Wormstone, I.

(2016)

PARP-1 inhibition influences the oxidative stress response of the human lens,

in Redox Biology

8

pp. 354-362

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Raghavan, C., Smuda, M., Smith, A., Howell, S., Smith, D., Singh, A., Gupta, P., Glomb, M., Wormstone, I., Nagaraj, R.

(2016)

AGEs in human lens capsule promote the TGFβ2-mediated EMT of lens epithelial cells: Implications for age-associated fibrosis,

in Aging Cell

15

(3)

pp. 465–476

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Eldred, J. A., McDonald, M., Wilkes, H. S., Spalton, D. J., Wormstone, I. M.

(2016)

Growth factor restriction impedes progression of wound healing following cataract surgery: identification of VEGF as a putative therapeutic target,

in Scientific Reports

6

article no. 24453

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Smith, A. F., Klotz, A., Wormstone, I. M.

(2016)

Improving the drug development process by reducing the impact of adverse events: the case of cataracts considered,

in Drug Discovery Today

21

(3)

pp. 510-516

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Wormstone, I. M., Eldred, J. A.

(2016)

Experimental models for posterior capsule opacification research,

in Experimental Eye Research

142

pp. 2-12

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Smith, A. J. O., Ball, S. S. R., Manzar, K., Bowater, R. P., Wormstone, I. M.

(2015)

Ku80 Counters Oxidative Stress-Induced DNA Damage and Cataract Formation in the Human Lens,

in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science

56

(13)

pp. 7868-7874

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Eldred, J. A., Spalton, D. J., Wormstone, I. M.

(2014)

An In Vitro Evaluation of the Anew Zephyr Open-Bag IOL in the Prevention of Posterior Capsule Opacification Using a Human Capsular Bag Model,

in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science

55

(11)

pp. 7057-7064

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Spalton, D. J., Russell, S. L., Evans-Gowing, R., Eldred, J. A., Wormstone, I. M.

(2014)

Effect of total lens epithelial cell destruction on intraocular lens fixation in the human capsular bag,

in Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

40

(2)

pp. 306-312

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Wormstone, I., Eldred, J., Dawes, L.

(2014)

Fibrotic modifications of the lens epithelium,

in Lens Epithelium and Posterior Capsule Opacification.

Springer

pp. 143-158

ISBN 978-4-431-54299-5

Full Text

(Chapter (peer-reviewed))

(Published)


Liu, H., Smith, A. J., Lott, M. C., Bao, Y., Bowater, R. P., Reddan, J. R., Wormstone, I. M.

(2013)

Sulforaphane Can Protect Lens Cells Against Oxidative Stress: Implications for Cataract Prevention,

in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

54

(8)

pp. 5236-5248

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Fang, C., Illingworth, C. D., Qian, L., Wormstone, I. M.

(2013)

Serum Deprivation Can Suppress Receptor-Mediated Calcium Signaling in Pterygial-Derived Fibroblasts,

in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

54

(7)

pp. 4563-4570

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Dawes, L. J., Duncan, G., Wormstone, I. M.

(2013)

Age-related differences in signaling efficiency of human lens cells underpin differential wound healing response rates following cataract surgery,

in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

54

(1)

pp. 333-42

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Wang, L., Eldred, J. A., Sidaway, P., Sanderson, J., Smith, A. J. O., Bowater, R. P., Reddan, J. R., Wormstone, I. M.

(2012)

Sigma 1 receptor stimulation protects against oxidative damage through suppression of the ER stress responses in the human lens,

in Mechanisms of Ageing and Development

133

(11-12)

pp. 665-674

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Dawes, L., Illingworth, C., Wormstone, I.

(2012)

A fully human in vitro capsular bag model to permit intraocular lens evaluation,

in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

53

pp. 23-29

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Eldred, J., Hodgkinson, L., Dawes, L., Reddan, J., Edwards, D., Wormstone, I.

(2012)

MMP2 Activity is Critical for TGF 2-Induced Matrix Contraction--Implications for Fibrosis,

in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

53

(7)

pp. 4085-4098

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Rhodes, J., Lott, M., Russell, S., Moulton, V., Sanderson, J., Wormstone, I., Broadway, D.

(2012)

Activation of the innate immune response and interferon signalling in myotonic dystrophy type 1 and type 2 cataracts,

in Human Molecular Genetics

21

(4)

pp. 852-862

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Eldred, J., Dawes, L., Wormstone, I.

(2011)

The lens as a model for fibrotic disease,

in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

366

(1568)

pp. 1301-1319

Full Text UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


Hodgkinson, L., Wang, L., Duncan, G., Edwards, D., Wormstone, I.

(2010)

ADAM and ADAMTS gene expression in native and wound healing human lens epithelial cells,

in Molecular Vision

16

pp. 2765-2776

UEA Repository

(Article)

(Published)


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Key Research Interests

I am a biomedical scientist with primary interests in the use of human tissue to study human eye disease. In particular, I am interested in wound-healing events that follow cataract surgery, which lead to a secondary visual loss known as posterior capsule opacification (PCO). Through the use of human tissue the laboratory aims to further our understanding of the cell and molecular mechanisms underpinning PCO and identify novel targets for future therapeutic development.

Video

Current Research Projects

  • Investigation of TGFß signalling involvement in matrix contraction and cell transdifferentiation
  • Gene expression and functional analysis of ocular cells
  • Development of human disease models to serve as pre-clinical evaluation tools
  • Optimise novel drug delivery mechanisms to prevent PCO

 

Life in our research group

The laboratory employs human ocular cell and tissue culture models as experimental systems to understand the human condition and develop appropriate therapies. The laboratory is equipped with dedicated state-of-the-art analysis tools that facilitate the research programme. There is a good blend of experienced post-doctoral scientists and enthusiastic students eager to learn. The group has international standing within our area of expertise and laboratory members get the opportunity to present their work across the world at meetings in North America, Asia and Europe. This experience is valuable to the development of individuals and the team as a whole.

PhD Positions 

Click here for current PhD opportunities in Biological Sciences. But feel free to email me to discuss projects outside these areas and alternative sources of funding.

Postdocs & Fellows

I am always happy to discuss possibilities for post-doctoral work and collaborations and Fellowship schemes with me acting as a sponsor.

Teaching Interests

  • Foundations for Physiology (BIO-1A58)
  • Skills for Biologists (BIO-1A4Y)
  • Introduction to Biomedicine (BIO-1A57)
  • Cell Biology (BIO-2B06)
  • Human Physiology (BIO-2B05)
  • Advanced Cell Biology (BIO-3C18)
  • Research Project (BIO-3C32)

External Activities and Indicators of Esteem

  • Industrial collaborations:Sugen Inc. - Fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibition; Cambridge Antibody Technology (now MedImmune) – Transforming growth factor beta inhibition;Milvella Ltd – Ocular drug delivery;Biologie Servier – Cytotoxicity testing; Anew Optics Inc– IOL development; Calpain Therapeutics – Drug development; Isarna Therapeutics – Drug development
  • Review for: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Experimental Eye Research; British Journal of Ophthalmology; American Journal of Pathology; Molecular Vision
  • Co-inventor on three international patents. Use of calcium intracellular store inactivators and formulations thereof as cell growth inhibitors (#95 16458.8); Treatment of fibrotic eye disorders US 61/095547; Treatment of fibrotic eye disorders using an MMP2 inhibitor US 61/095554
  • 1995 & 1996 AER-Chauvin Prize. Awarded for the best abstract by a presenting author, under 35, at the annual JERMOV meeting. In receiving these awards I became the only person ever to win the prize twice, and in successive years.
  • 2008 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine
  • 2009 Honorary Chair of Harbin Medical University
  • 2015 National Foundation for Eye Research (NFER) Cataract Research Award
  • 2016 Made a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
  • Editorial Board Member of IOVS

Administrative Posts

  • Human Physiology (BIO-2B05) Module Organiser.
  • Since January 2003-2005, I organised weekly seminars for the Cell Sector.
  • I was a member of the Quinquennial review committee for the Biological Sciences degree course.
  • From August 2006 to July 2011, I was Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning (School of Biological Sciences).
  • From 2009-2011, I was Chair of the Assessment Working Group within the School of Biological Sciences.
  • From August 2012-present, I am Senior Advisor with the School of Biological Sciences.