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Full NameDr David Simpson

Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine

Queen's University Belfast

Webpage:qub.ac.uk

Email Address:Email hidden; Javascript is required.

Research Fields

genetics, genomics and molecular biology

Postgrad Medical Specialties

Ophthalmology
Pathology

Medical Subspecialties

Cardiology
Infectious diseases
Neurology
Respiratory Medicine
Vascular Medicine

My Work

The aim of my research is to provide a better understanding of the molecular basis of disease, focussing on eye and vascular diseases. This is achieved by application of advanced genomics approaches, including microbial whole genome sequencing, transcriptional profiling using RNA-Sequencing of mRNA and non-coding RNAs (microRNA) and single cell RNA-sequencing. The use of unbiassed genome-wide approaches can provide novel insights that enable both development of new treatments and design of improved diagnostic and prognostic tests.
Recent projects include the profiling of circulating microRNAs in diabetic nephropathy (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31358876/), investigation of individual retinal endothelial cell barrier properties (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33380778/) and the role of VEGF and microRNAs in angiogenesis (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28631889/). Ongoing work includes development of molecular diagnostics for corneal ulcer and sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 for detection of variants and lineage tracing to inform public health, as PI for the Belfast hub of the The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium (https://www.cogconsortium.uk/)