Peter Wright

Biography

Peter Wright is a Post-Doctoral researcher jointly within the Functional Microscopy and Cellular Electrophysiology groups at the National Heart and Lung Institute. He is supervised primarily by Professor Julia Gorelik and Professor Cesare Terraciano. After completing his first degree at the University of Birmingham he began a career in the pharmaceutical industry. After a number of successful years he decided to return to academic research. In 2009, he enrolled on the Imperial College 1+3-year PhD studentship (MRes Experimental Physiology and Pharmacology) funded by the MRC and administrated by CIMPP. Peter was given a project in Dr Gorelik’s group as part of the assessment for the MRes component. His PhD concerned in vivo and in vitro investigations of the effects of large doses of epinephrine (adrenaline) on cellular receptor signalling (β1AR/ β2AR) and heart function. This research aims to deepen our understanding of the pathological state underlying the syndrome of stress or tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy. This disorder is relatively rare but is increasingly reported in the medical literature and has a distinctive set of symptoms. The dysfunction underlying this disorder may contribute in minor ways to other forms of heart disease.

Research Interest

Experimental Physiology and Pharmacology