Dr Rebecca Charles

Profile

Rebecca gained a BSc in Biochemistry from The University of Birmingham in 2002 before working at Unilever for 3 years, where she was involved in a variety of different skin ageing and skin health projects including a number of clinical trials. Rebecca then undertook her PhD studies within the School of Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences at King’s College London. In 2017, Rebecca received a BHF Intermediate Fellowship to investigate activation of soluble Epoxide Hydrolase by intra-protein disulfide formation. In 2019, she moved to the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London where her group studies the molecular basis of redox sensing and signalling in soluble epoxide hydrolase and its importance to the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.

Research

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is ubiquitously expressed, including in cardiovascular-relevant tissues such as endothelial or vascular smooth muscle cells as well as cardiomyocytes, where it is an important modulator of arterial and cardiac functions. sEH is also a susceptibility factor for human heart failure, with polymorphisms that enhance hydrolase activity increasing cardiovascular risk. Conversely, inhibitors (or transgenic knock-outs) of sEH offer a broad spectrum of cardiovascular protection, including blockade of smooth muscle proliferation, reduction of atherosclerosis and hypertension, prevention and regression of cardiac hypertrophy and HF, and fibrosis. Until 2009, little was known about how sEH activity was regulated and it was thought to be principally determined by its expression abundance. However, it is now apparent that a number of different oxidative post-translational modifications regulate this hydrolase. My research focuses on defining and understanding the molecular basis of redox sensing and signalling in sEH and its importance to the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.

Publications

• Charles RL, Fernandez-Caggiano M, Rudyk O et al. (2026). A novel inhibitor of soluble epoxide hydrolase that adducts C521 is cardioprotective. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2025.103974

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/116093
• de Jesus DS, Charles R, Francois A et al. (2025). KCTD12 redox state as a determinant and therapeutic target in pulmonary remodeling. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2025.10.015

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/113561
• Cho H-J, Charles RL, Prysyazhna O et al. (2025). Protein kinase GIα oxidation negatively regulates antibody production by B cells. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2025.103894

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/113558
• Simoes de Jesus D, Buffonge S, Abis G et al. (2025). Zinc-mediated Inhibition of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Promotes Pulmonary Hypertension. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202409-1763oc

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/107798
• Cho H-J, Smith J, Switzer CH et al. (2025). SFX-01 is therapeutic against myeloproliferative disorders caused by activating mutations in Shp2. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s44321-025-00267-7

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/108442
• Simoes de Jesus D, Buffonge S, Abis G et al. (2024). Zinc-mediated inhibition of soluble epoxide hydrolase promotes pulmonary hypertension. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.10.125

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/103127
• Faulkes CG, Eykyn TR, Miljkovic JL et al. (publicationYear). Naked mole-rats have distinctive cardiometabolic and genetic adaptations to their underground low-oxygen lifestyles. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46470-x

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/96659
• Caggiano MF, Charles R, Prysyazhna O et al. (2023). UK-5099 does not inhibit the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier through irreversible adduction to cysteine 54 in MPC2. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.10.148

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/92439
• Charles R, Fernandez-Caggiano M, Rudyk O et al. (2022). A novel inhibitor of soluble Epoxide Hydrolase that adducts C521 is cardioprotective. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.10.090

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/92464
• Charles R, Eaton P (publicationYear). Redox Regulation of Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase—Implications for Cardiovascular Health and Disease. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.3390/cells11121932

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/79463

Collaborators

Internal

• Prof Philip Eaton (WHRI)
• Dr Roberto Buccafusca (School of Physics and Chemical Sciences)

News

• Olive oil and salad combined 'explain' Med diet success (BBC News), May 2014
• Olive oil on salad may save your life (The Telegraph), May 2014
  

Teaching

Undergraduate Education:

• MBBS: OSCE examiner; SSC examiner

Postgraduate Education:

• PhD supervisor: UKRI funded

Previously:

• MSc Genomic Medicine: Project supervisor
• MSc Clinical Drug Development: Lecturer