Professor Cherry Wainwright
| Post Nominals | FBPharmS FHEA |
|---|---|
| Biography | Cherry graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology and subsequently the University of Strathclyde with a PhD in Cardiovascular Pharmacology. She is a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society and the Higher Education Academy, and a member of the IUPHAR Natural Products Section Committee. Cherry spent over 20 years at Strathclyde as an academic involved in both teaching and research, before moving to the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen in 2003 as a Research Professor, where she spent 8 years as the Director of the multi-disciplinary Institute for Health & Wellbeing Research (2007-2015). She is now the lead in Cardiometabolic Health Research and Co-Director of the Centre for Natural Products in Health, which focuses on the identification of novel pharmaceutical and nutraceutical agents from plant, marine algal and food processing waste-derived sources. Throughout her career Cherry’s research has focused on mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology and the identification of novel therapeutic targets of cardiovascular diseases; and one of the main threads has been the evaluation of the role of endogenous biological mediators as both the perpetrators of, and protective substances against, cardiovascular disorders. For the last 16 years her emphasis has been on the role of the endocannabinoid system in cardiac (ischaemia/reperfusion) and vascular (atherosclerosis, restenosis) injury and energy regulation in the cardiovascular system. Her seminal paper on the cardioprotective effects of CBD opened up her current research programme that focuses on the role of the putative cannabinoid receptor GPR55 in regulating cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology and the role this receptor plays in the relationship between obesity, metabolic syndrome and the development of cardiovascular disorders. Cherry has published over 90 full original articles, 200 conference proceedings, 7 invited reviews, 6 book chapters, edited one book and prepared 20 unpublished reports to industry. She also has 3 patent applications and has given over 30 invited symposium lectures. |
| Research Interests | Research into the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Consequences of acute myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion and the mechanisms contributing to injury. Mechanisms involved in the responses of blood vessels to injury, induced both by disease (e.g. atherosclerosis) and mechanical means (e.g. angioplasty and stent implantation). Evaluation of the role of endogenous biological mediators as both protective substances and the perpetrators of cardiovascular disorders, leading to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the search for novel, natural product-derived agents acting at these targets. Role of (i) cannabinoids and (ii) the GPR55/LPI system in regulating cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiological processes, the main focus being on the relationship between obesity, metabolic syndrome and the development of cardiovascular disorders. |
| ResearcherID | CAA-6708-2022 |
| Scopus Author ID | 7006542962 |
| PhD Supervision Availability | Yes |
| PhD Topics | Cardiovascular pharmacology Cannabinoids Natural Product Drug Discovery |