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Dr Fiona Lewis-McDougall

Fiona

Senior Lecturer in Myocardial Repair and Regeneration

Centre: Microvascular Research

Email: f.lewis@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0) 20 7882 8238
Website: https://www.centre-for-microvascular-research.com/lewis-mcdougall-lab

Profile

Dr Fiona Lewis-McDougall completed her undergraduate studies in Anatomy and Human Biology at the University of Liverpool and obtained her PhD at the UK Centre for Tissue Engineering, University of Liverpool. She subsequently conducted post-doctoral research at the Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at King’s College London.

She later joined the Centre for Microvascular Research  at the William Harvey Research Institute (WHRI) as a lecturer in myocardial repair and regeneration and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2024. Fiona now leads an established research group investigating how ageing influences the regenerative potential of induced pluripotent stem cells in cardiovascular disease.

Research

Group members

Gowtham Cheruku (Research Technician), Dr Natalia Moreno (PDRA)

Summary

Research in my lab focuses on understanding the effect of ageing on stem cell regenerative potential for cardiac repair and regeneration, she is currently undertaking a number of projects to address this.

  1. Targeting Age-Related Metabolites to Enhance hiPSC-Cardiomyocyte Differentiation

    Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the adult heart has very limited ability to regenerate damaged tissue. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer a promising source of replacement cardiomyocytes (CMs), but differentiation efficiency can be inconsistent, especially in cells from older donors. Our research shows that hiPSCs from aged donors accumulate nuclear defects, exhibit metabolic changes and have impaired CM differentiation. We are investigating how age-related metabolic dysregulation affects hiPSC-CM development, with the goal of improving differentiation strategies and generating functional CMs for regenerative therapies in older IHD patients.

  2. Evaluating the Therapeutic Potential of iPSC-Cardiac Progenitor Cells for Cardiac Repair

    The optimal induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) progeny for cardiac repair remains undefined. To date, most efforts have focused on generating fully differentiated iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Although this strategy has shown some promise, it is limited by the delivery of only a single replacement cell type, and iPSC-cardiomyocytes typically retain an immature phenotype leading to poor functional integration with host myocardium. Meanwhile endogenous cardiac progenitor cells (eCPCs) possess well-described reparative properties, suggesting that human iPSC-derived cardiac progenitor cells (iPSC-CPCs) may offer a superior and renewable alternative particularly where isolation of resident CPCs is impractical. This project focusing on a direct comparison of human c-kit⁺ eCPCs and iPSC-CPCs generated from the same donors. By evaluating their phenotypes, functional characteristics, and reparative potential side-by-side, we aim to provide critical insight into the therapeutic value of iPSC-CPCs and define their suitability for future cardiac regenerative therapies.

  3. Investigating Extracellular Vesicles as Mediators of Cardiac Repair and Regeneration

    In recent years, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as both powerful biomarkers and promising therapeutic agents in cardiovascular research. One key line of investigation in our group focuses on EVs as prognostic biomarkers in aortic stenosis, where their molecular cargo may provide early indications of disease progression and patient outcome. Beyond their diagnostic value, EVs also hold therapeutic potential. Increasing evidence suggests that EVs exert cardioprotective effects by transferring bioactive cargo to injured cells, thereby supporting tissue repair and regeneration. Despite these advances, an optimal therapeutic source of EVs for treating heart disease has not yet been identified. To address this, we are exploring EVs from diverse cellular origins to assess their reparative capacity. We also aim to define the mechanisms through which EVs exert regenerative effects, with the overarching goal of advancing EV-based diagnostics and therapies for cardiovascular disease.

Publications

  • Ajjan RA, Huckstepp RTR, Akbar N et al. (2026). Senescence-related myocardial dysfunction: keeping a young heart. nameOfConference


  • Kobayashi K, Ichihara Y, Tano N et al. (publicationYear). Author Correction: Fibrin Glue-aided, Instant Epicardial Placement Enhances the Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Based Therapy for Heart Failure. nameOfConference


  • Yesilyurt-Dirican ZE, Qi C, Wang Y-C et al. (publicationYear). SGLT2 inhibitors as a novel senotherapeutic approach. nameOfConference


  • Ruchaya PJ, Lewis-McDougall FC, Sornkarn N et al. (publicationYear). Correction: Ruchaya et al. Transplantation of Skeletal Muscle-Derived Sca-1+/PW1+/Pax7− Interstitial Cells (PICs) Improves Cardiac Function and Attenuates Remodeling in Mice Subjected to Myocardial Infarction. Cells 2022, 11, 4050. nameOfConference


  • Kobayashi K, Ichihara Y, Sato N et al. (2024). Corrigendum to “On-site fabrication of bi-layered adhesive mesenchymal stromal cell dressings for the treatment of heart failure” [Biomaterials 209 (2019) 41–53]. nameOfConference


  • Fields L, Ito T, Kobayashi K et al. (2024). Epicardial placement of human MSC-loaded fibrin sealant films for heart failure: Preclinical efficacy and mechanistic data. nameOfConference


  • Ruchaya PJ, Lewis-McDougall FC, Sornkarn N et al. (publicationYear). Transplantation of Skeletal Muscle-Derived Sca-1+/PW1+/Pax7− Interstitial Cells (PICs) Improves Cardiac Function and Attenuates Remodeling in Mice Subjected to Myocardial Infarction. nameOfConference


  • Smith AJ, Ruchaya P, Walmsley R et al. (publicationYear). Receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors negatively impact on pro-reparative characteristics of human cardiac progenitor cells. nameOfConference


  • Fields L, Ito T, Kobayashi K et al. (2021). Epicardial placement of human MSC-loaded fibrin sealant films for heart failure: Preclinical efficacy and mechanistic data. nameOfConference


  • Ito T, Shintani Y, Fields L et al. (publicationYear). Cell barrier function of resident peritoneal macrophages in post-operative adhesions. nameOfConference


View profile publication page

Sponsors

Collaborators

Internal

External

  • Mr Wael Awad (Barts NHS Trust)
  • Dr Georgina Ellison (King’s College London, UK)
  • Prof Fiona Ducotterd (UCL)
  • Prof Michael Duchen (UCL)
  • Dr Kate Cameron (Cytochroma Ltd.)

Teaching

  • Module co-lead for BMD375 - Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics
  • Supervisor for final year projects for Pharmacology and Innovative Therapeutics
  • Lecturer and project supervisor for Regenerative Medicine MSc
  • PBL tutor for 1st and 2nd year medical students
  • OSCE examiner for medical students
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