BSc, PhD
Lecturer
- About
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- Email Address
- dthompson@abdn.ac.uk
- Office Address
office 6.15/lab 2.48
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition,
Institute of Medical Sciences,
Foresterhill, Aberdeen
ext: office:7513
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
I received my B.Sc Hons in Pharmacology from the University of Aberdeen before obtaining a Ph.D from the University of Strathclyde under the supervision of Prof Susan Pyne, where I studied the enzymes sphingosine kinase and sphingosine-1-phosphate phosphatase. My postdoctoral training began at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Centre (University of California, San Francisco) in the laboratory of Professor Jennifer Whistler, where I investigated the consequences of disrupted GPCR trafficking in health an disease. Specifically, my work focused on the dopamine receptor family and their role in cocaine sensitisation. From here, I moved to the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London followed by training at the William Harvey Research Centre at Queen Mary London in the laboratory of Profs Mauro Perretti and Roderick Flower where I studied the trafficking properties of the Formylpeptide receptor family (also GPCRs) and their role in innate immunity. I returned to the University of Aberdeen and continued my postdoctoral studies under the supervision of Prof Mirela Delibegovic investigating the role of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) in inflammation. In January 2020 I was appointed Lecturer in Medical Sciences.
- Research
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Research Overview
My research philosophy involves determining processes at the molecular level and translating these into whole animal physiology. My specific focus is G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) regulation and the molecular mechanisms controlling GPCR endocytosis and post-endocytic fate, how these control cellular function, how disruption of these process alters cell function and ultimately how this leads to disease in the animal.
Research Areas
Biomedical Sciences
Research Specialisms
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
- Diabetes
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
