Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Network

What is the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Network?

Our multidisciplinary research network interdigitates scientists and clinicians from UEA Faculty of Science, Faculty of Medicine & Health, and the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.

We work together to understand and tackle cardiovascular and metabolic disease, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke and vascular dementia. Major funders within the network include BBSRC, British Heart Foundation, NIHR Wellcome Trust and industrial partners.

Thematic research areas

Vascular and stroke
Stem cell and regenerative medicine
Diabetes and metabolism
Cardiac

Our mission

Understand the rules of life of cells and tissues in the cardiovascular and metabolic cells and tissues
Develop better therapies, diagnosis and clinical practice in cardiovascular and metabolic disease
Develop new talent through postgraduate research, research fellowships and an excellent training environment

"Multidisciplinary working is essential for us to understand the complex physiology of our cardiovascular system, what goes wrong in disease, and how to predict, diagnose and treat disease. We are uniquely placed in close proximity on the Norwich Research Park to deliver this.”

Professor Sam Fountain

Network Director and Chair of Pharmacology

Fellowships and collaboration

The network is open to hosting UKRI and British Heart Foundation Basic and Clinical Fellowships. Contact Professor Sam Fountain to discuss how we can best support your application.

2024/2025 Seminar Series

Mechanisms of epicardial cell activation and quiescence: prospects for cardiac regeneration?

Professor Nicola Smart, University of Oxford

Date and Time: Thursday 17 October, 1-2pm

Venue: Elizabeth Fry Building, Room 01.02

Host: Dr Linda Troeberg, UEA MED

Speaker bio: Nicola Smart is a Professor of Cardiovascular Science at the Department of Physiology Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford. She is also a Fellow and Tutor in Preclinical Medicine at Christ Church, Oxford. Since 2011, Nicola has been the recipient of the Ian Fleming Senior Fellowship, funded by the family of the James Bond author in support of the work of the BHF. Nicola relocated to Oxford in 2012, following a BHF Intermediate Fellowship at the UCL-Institute of Child Health and postdoctoral research at King’s College London. Nicola received the BHF Research Fellow of the Year Award in 2011 and the British Cardiovascular Society’s Michael Davies Early Career Award in 2012, in recognition of her research on reactivating embryonic mechanisms to regenerate the mammalian heart, and in 2021 was awarded the John French Prize Lecture from the British Atherosclerosis Society. Nicola’s research continues to focus on understanding how to manipulate cardiac reparative responses and promote vessel growth and stability, based on insights from embryonic development.

Hear from some of our researchers

Professor Samuel Fountain, School of Biological Sciences

Sam’s research, supported by the British Heart Foundation, BBSRC and several industrial partners, focuses on understanding how the nervous system controls vascular and adipose tissue with an emphasis on a family of neurotransmitter receptors.

Professor Andrea Munsterberg, School of Biological Sciences

Andrea is a research scientist addressing fundamental questions of how the heart develops in early vertebrate embryos.

Dr James Smith, Lecturer, Norwich Medical School

The group James works in use stem cells to grow new human heart cells that can be used to study cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

Professor Helen Murphy, Norwich Medical School

Helen’s interest is in early-onset T2D (T2D before 39 years of age) which is associated with hypertension, hyperlipidemia and a severe cardio-metabolic phenotype.

Dr Stephen Robinson, Research Leader, Quadram Institute

The group Stephen works with hope to guide the use and design of microbiota based therapies in order to maintain life-long vascular health.

Dr Amer Rana, School of Biological Science

Amer has had more than 25 years of clinical and lab-based research experience. His goal over the past 12 years has been to translate stem cell and developmental biology into medical therapies.

Dr Gi Fay (Geoffrey) Mok, School of Biological Sciences

The Mok lab, currently supported by the Royal Society and previously by the British Heart Foundation, studies the embryonic origin of blood stem cells and endothelial cells in the avian model system.

Dr Derek Warren, School of Pharmacy

Research Overview Our large elastic arteries, including the aorta, are compliant and change shape in response to changes in blood pressure. As we age, the compliance of these elastic arteries decreases, and this is an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. We...