Home
Ultradian Hormone Diagnostics

Ultradian Partner University of Bristol

Professor Stafford Lightman

University of Bristol logo
Photo:
University of Bristol

Main content

University of Bristol is one of the most popular and successful universities in the UK and was ranked within the top 50 universities in the world in the QS World University rankings 2016

Stafford Lightman did his training in neurochemical pharmacology under the supervision of Dr Leslie Iversen at the University of Cambridge.  He then did his clinical training in London working with both Sir John Nabarro and Sir Stanley Peart.  During his time at St Mary's Hospital he first developed his interests in the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and became a visiting scientist with Dr Michael Brownstein's unit at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.  Working with Scott Young he utilised what was at that time the novel approach of quantitative in-situ hybridisation histochemistry to look at the anatomically discrete regulation of hypothalamic peptides involved in the regulation of homeostatic processes both for neurohypophysial and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axes.  Using this technique he was able to demonstrate the differential expression of CRH and arginine vasopressin in acute and chronic stress. 

On returning to the UK he developed novel physiological and molecular techniques to look at the regulation of HPA activity in animal models of health and disease and using a systems biology approach has begun to dissect the mechanisms underlying the dynamics of HPA homeostatic processes.  At the same time he has pursued studies in man to evaluate the importance of these processes in health and disease.  In order to achieve this he has designed the automated sampling equipment we will be using in the ULTRADIAN Horizon 2020 research programme.