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Expert completed his PhD at St George's Hospital Medical School, on the microvascular parameters affecting post mastectomy lymphoedema in patients. After a year learning molecular biology at Glasgow University in Drosophila genetics, he spent three years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Davis, where he developed the existing single capillary cannulation technique to examine chronic regulation of permeability by growth factors, and started investigating VEGF signalling. He continued these studies as a lecturer at the University of Leicester, investigating the mechanism by which VEGF increases permeability using novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors. During that time he developed angiogenesis protocols to investigate VEGF signalling during blood vessel growth and moved to the University of Bristol as a BHF research fellow. He was awarded a BHF lectureship, and in collaboration with Dr Steven Harper, a consultant nephrologist at Southmead Hospital, established the Microvascular Research Laboratories within the School of Veterinary Sciences.

In that year he discovered the anti-angiogenic class of VEGF splice variants, and now investigates the potential of VEGF-splice variants, VEGF-induced angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, VEGF-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, VEGF-activated ion channels and VEGF induced lymphatic metastasis. He discovered, with Jacqui Shields that melanomas can metastasise through recognising chemokines secreted from lymphatics (metastatic chemotaxis), and that this occurs through CCL21/CCR7 interactions. With Dr Neal, he discovered the sub-podocyte space of the kidney glomerulus, the first new urinary space in the kidney for 150 years. He was appointed Professor of Microvascular Biology and Medicine in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in Bristol.

Advising major pharmaceutical company on research, marketing and clincial applications of VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor in cancer.Advising major pharmaceutical company on research, marketing and clinical applications of VEGF inhibitor in eye disease.Member of steering committee as the scientific expert for major drug company for clinical development of lead compound.