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Professor Sussan Nourshargh

Sussan

Head, Centre for Microvascular Research

Centre: Microvascular Research

Email: s.nourshargh@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: +44(0) 20 7882 8240 

Website: https://www.centre-for-microvascular-research.com/
X: @NoursharghLab

Profile

ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5677-1806

Sussan Nourshargh is a pharmacologist who studied at University College London (BSc) and King’s College London (PhD) and became Professor of Immunopharmacology at Imperial College London in 2006. In 2007 she joined Queen Mary University of London where she established the Centre for Microvascular Research within the William Harvey Research Institute. 

Awards and Fellowships

  • Wellcome Trust Investigator Award (2020)
  • The Gabor Kaley Prize in Microcirculation Research from the American Societies of Physiology and Microcirculation (2016)
  • The Astra Zeneca Prize for Women in Pharmacology from the British Pharmacology Society (2014)
  • Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award (2012)
  • Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2012)
  • Fellow of the Society of Biology (2010)
  • Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society (2005)
  • Quintiles Prize for outstanding contribution to Immunopharmacology from the British Pharmacology Society (2001)
  • Wellcome Trust University Award (1996)
  • Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship (1990)

Memberships

  • International Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University of Birmingham (2023 to date).
  • International Scientific Advisory Board of the DFG-funded Neutrophil Consortium, University of Munster, Germany (2022-2025).
  • British Heart Foundation Board of Trustees and Advisory Council (2015-2021)
  • Wellcome Trust’s Biomedical Resources & Multi-User Equipment Committee (2015-2018)
  • Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Panel (2015-2017)
  • Chair and Member of the Academy of Medical Sciences Committee (SC3) for selection of new Fellows (2012-2017)
  • Royal Society’s Newton Advanced Fellowship Panel (2014-2016)
  • British Heart Foundation Fellowship Committee (2011-2014)
  • Wellcome Trust’s Peer Review College (2012-2016)
  • Treasurer of the UK Adhesion Society (2007-2016)
  • Editor, European Journal of Immunology (2013-2020)
  • Editor, British Journal of Pharmacology (2010-2013) 

Research

Group members

  • Researchers: Dr Clare Latta, Dr HaiTao Wang, Dr Yue Yang, Dr Joanne Tam, Ms Laura Vasquez Martinez
  • Support Staff: Dr Matthew Golding (Lab Manager) and Ms Joana Mateu (PA & Centre Administrator)

Summary 

The principal objective of our research is to investigate the mode, dynamics and mechanisms of leukocyte transmigration, the final stage in the leukocyte adhesion cascade, that describes the movement of leukocytes from the vascular lumen into inflamed and/or injured tissues. To achieve this goal, we employ a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the associated molecular and cellular pathways involved in neutrophil-vessel wall interactions. A key approach is the application of confocal intravital microscopy that enables rigorous and direct means of investigating the interactions of leukocytes with different components of microvessel walls (endothelial cells, pericytes and the vascular basement membrane) in real-time in vivo. We employ models for analysis of both physiologically relevant as well as pathological inflammatory models and a key component of our work is a research programme that investigates how pathological inflammatory insults impact the dynamics of neutrophil-vessel wall interactions and the implications of disrupted modes of neutrophil transmigration (e.g. neutrophil reverse transendothelial cell migration) on inflammatory disease development and dissemination. Collectively through the application of molecular and cellular assays, and advanced imaging platforms, our work aims to unravel previously unexplored cellular and molecular physiological concepts and identify disease-specific phenomena in immunity, inflammation and vascular biology. 

Our work is largely funded by the Wellcome Trust (Investigator Award), UKRI MRC, and the British Heart Foundation. 

Publications

  • van der Meer WJ, van Steen ACI, Mahlandt E et al. (2025). Leukocytes use endothelial membrane tunnels to extravasate the vasculature. nameOfConference


  • Reglero-Real N, Rolas L, Nourshargh S (2025). Aging microvasculature: Effects on immune cell trafficking and inflammatory diseases. nameOfConference


  • Kono Y, Pack C-G, Ichikawa T et al. (2024). Roles of the lamin A-specific tail region in the localization to sites of nuclear envelope rupture. nameOfConference


  • Reglero-Real N, Pérez-Gutiérrez L, Saleeb RS et al. (2024). Protocol for volume correlative light X-ray and electron microscopy of endothelial cells in mouse tissue. nameOfConference


  • Rolas L, Stein M, Barkaway A et al. (2024). Senescent endothelial cells promote pathogenic neutrophil trafficking in inflamed tissues. nameOfConference


  • Benedicto I, Carmona RM, Barettino A et al. (2024). Exacerbated atherosclerosis in progeria is prevented by progerin elimination in vascular smooth muscle cells but not endothelial cells. nameOfConference


  • Vignarajah M, Wood AJT, Nelmes E et al. (2024). Regulation of ICAM-1 in human neutrophils. nameOfConference


  • Cacho-Navas C, López-Pujante C, Reglero-Real N et al. (publicationYear). ICAM-1 nanoclusters regulate hepatic epithelial cell polarity by leukocyte adhesion-independent control of apical actomyosin. nameOfConference


  • Vestweber D, Claesson-Welsh L, McDonald DM et al. (2023). Report from the 2023 workshop on endothelial permeability, edema and inflammation. nameOfConference


  • Joulia R, Guerrero-Fonseca IM, Girbl T et al. (publicationYear). Neutrophil breaching of the blood vessel pericyte layer during diapedesis requires mast cell-derived IL-17A. nameOfConference


View profile publication page

Sponsors

Collaborators

  • Professor Myles Lewis, Centre for Translational Bioinformatics, WHRI, QMUL  
  • Professor Robert Insall, University College London, UK
  • Professor Paul Martin, University of Bristol
  • Dr Helen Weavers, University of Bristol
  • Professor Carlos Lopez Otin, University of Oviedo, Spain

News

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