Professor Jennifer Gamble

Professor Jennifer Gamble is an internationally recognised research leader in the field of endothelial cell function and holds the Inaugural Wenkart Chair of the Endothelium.

Her interests lie in understanding the function of blood vessels, particularly the endothelial cells that form the barrier between the blood and the tissues. Her initial work on the action of TNF on the endothelium to support neutrophil adhesion redefined and forms the basis for our understanding of the central role of the endothelium in inflammation.

She has been instrumental in defining the concept of positive and negative regulators of the endothelium, their role in inflammation and barrier function and the signaling pathways involved. She has identified and characterised the role of new genes which regulate endothelial cell function, with her recent work focusing on understanding endothelial cell ageing or cellular senescence. She has recently discovered the function of the gene, called SENEX or ARHGAP18, which provides a unique gatekeeper function in limiting the stress induced premature senescence and inflammation pathways in endothelial cells.

Her laboratory is expanding into studies on pericytes, smooth muscle cells and perivascular macrophages, all cells which interact with endothelial cells and which together control blood vessel function. The laboratory utilises state of the art single cell analysis, high resolution imaging, metabolic studies and animal models in their investigations.

Diseases being investigated are Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease.