Personal profile
Overview
Rachel Lennon is a Professor of Nephrology at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Nephrology at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.
Biography
Rachel graduated from Nottingham University Medical School in 1994. She completed clinical training in paediatric nephrology and began her research training in 2004 with a Wellcome Research Training Fellowship. She was then appointed to an NIHR Clinical Lectureship in 2007 and in 2008 she began working at the Wellcome Centre for Cell-Matrix Research in Manchester. In 2010 she was awarded a Wellcome Intermediate Clinical Fellowship to establish her research group followed by a Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship in 2016. Rachel’s research is focused on understanding specialised structures called basement membranes, which are affected in many types of kidney disease including Alport syndrome. Rachel is Director of the Manchester Cell-Matrix Centre and Director of the Stoneygate and Kidney Research UK Alport Research Hub. She combines her academic work with clinical duties as a Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Research interests
Rachel and her team study basement membranes, specialised matrix structures that surround and join tissue compartments. They investigate how basement membranes assemble, how they are maintained in a healthy state and how they are damaged in genetic or acquired human disease. A primary focus of the group is on basement membranes in the kidney, which are affected in the genetic condition Alport syndrome.
Memberships of committees and professional bodies
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- British Association of Paediatric Nephrology
- Renal Association
- Academic Paediatrics Association GBI
- European Society of Peadiatric Nephrology
- American Society of Nephrology
- International Society of Nephrology
Qualifications
- BMedSci 1992
- BMBS 1994
- MRCP/MRCPCH 1997
- PhD 2008
- CCT Paediatrics/Paediatric Nephrology 2008
- FRCPCH 2010
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- Manchester Regenerative Medicine Network
- Christabel Pankhurst Institute
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Circadian Rhythms and Glucocorticoid Dynamics in the Kidney Matrix
Gyasi, C., Lennon, R. & Preston, R., 29 Jan 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: The Nephron Journals. p. 1-10 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
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Lung basement membranes are compositionally and structurally altered following resolution of influenza infection.
Brand, O., Kirkham, S., Jagger, C., Ozols, M., Purohit, K., Zhang, Z., Lennon, R., Hussell, T. & Eckersley, A., 1 Feb 2026, In: Mucosal Immunology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
A collagen IV fluorophore knock-in toolkit reveals trimer diversity in C. elegans basement membranes
Srinivasan, S., Ramos-Lewis, W., Morais, M. R. P. T., Chi, Q., Soh, A. W. J., Williams, E., Lennon, R. & Sherwood, D. R., 2 Jun 2025, In: Journal of Cell Biology. 224, 6, e202412118.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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AntimiR uptake by human proximal tubule epithelial cells is predominantly by macropinocytosis
Glover, E. K., Berlinguer-Palmini, R., Thompson, E. R., Wilson, C., Denby, L., Reynolds, G., Ali, S., Lowe, M., Lennon, R. & Sheerin, N. S., 29 Aug 2025, In: Scientific Reports. 15, 1, 31799 .Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Breaking Bruch's: How changes in Bruch's membrane influence retinal homeostasis
Clark, S. J., Curcio, C., Dick, A. D., Doyle, S., Edwards, M., Flores-Bellver, M., Hass, D., Lennon, R., Toomey, C. B. & Rohrer, B., 30 Jun 2025, In: Experimental eye research. 255, 110343.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open Access
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Characterising ageing basement membrane composition, modification, and proteolytic fragmentation across three major organs
Eckersley, A. (PI), Lennon, R. (CoI) & Hussell, T. (CoI)
1/12/24 → 30/11/27
Project: Research
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NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre
Bruce, I. (PI), Lord, G. (CoI), Lennon, R. (CoI), Black, G. (CoI), Wedge, D. (CoI), Morris, A. (CoI), Hussell, T. (CoI), Sharrocks, A. (CoI), Stivaros, S. (CoI), Buch, M. (CoI), Gough, J. (CoI), Kostarelos, K. (CoI), Thistlethwaite, F. (CoI), Kadler, K. (CoI), Barton, A. (CoI), Hyrich, K. (CoI), Mcbeth, J. (CoI), O'Neill, T. (CoI), Vestbo, J. (CoI), Simpson, A. (CoI), Singh, S. (CoI), Smith, J. (CoI), Felton, T. (CoI), Murray, C. (CoI), Griffiths, C. (CoI), Cullum, N. (CoI), Rhodes, L. (CoI), Warren, R. (CoI), Paus, R. (CoI), Dumville, J. (CoI), Viros Usandizaga, A. (CoI), Keavney, B. (CoI), Tomaszewski, M. (CoI), Allan, S. (CoI), Body, R. (CoI), Cartwright, E. (CoI), Heagerty, A. (CoI), Kalra, P. (CoI), Miller, C. (CoI), Rutter, M. (CoI), Smith, C. (CoI), Trafford, A. (CoI), Evans, D. (CoI), Davidson, E. (CoI), Crosbie, P. (CoI), Harvie, M. (CoI), Howell, S. (CoI), Renehan, A. (CoI), Dive, C. (CoI), Blackhall, F. (CoI), Landers, D. (CoI), Krebs, M. (CoI), Cook, N. (CoI), Clarke, R. (CoI), Taylor, S. (CoI), Jorgensen, C. (CoI), Lorigan, P. (CoI), Jayson, G. (CoI), Valle, J. (CoI), Mccabe, M. (CoI), Armstrong, A. (CoI), Freitas, A. (CoI), Illidge, T. (CoI), Choudhury, A. (CoI), Hoskin, P. (CoI), West, C. (CoI), Van Herk, M. (CoI), Faivre-Finn, C. (CoI), Bristow, R. (CoI), Kirkby, K. (CoI), Birtle, A. (CoI), Mackay, R. (CoI), Radford, J. (CoI), Linton, K. (CoI), Higham, C. (CoI), Munro, K. (CoI), Plack, C. (CoI), Arden Armitage, C. (CoI), Bruce, I. (CoI), Moore, D. (CoI), Saunders, G. (CoI), Stone, M. (CoI), Haddock, G. (CoI), Lewis, S. (CoI), Elliott, R. (CoI), Green, J. (CoI), Lovell, K. (CoI), Morrison, A. (CoI), Shaw, J. (CoI), Bucci, S. (CoI), Ainsworth, J. (CoI), Webb, R. (CoI), Newman, W. (CoI), Banka, S. (CoI), Clayton-Smith, J. (CoI), Payne, K. (CoI), Moldovan, R. (CoI), Wynn, R. (CoI) & Jones, S. (CoI)
1/12/22 → 30/11/27
Project: Research
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Laser capture dissection for spatially-resolved -omics analysis
Swift, J. (PI), Caswell, P. (CoI), Chang, J. (CoI), Clarke, R. (CoI), Couper, K. (CoI), Dyer, D. (CoI), Eckersley, A. (CoI), Gilmore, A. (CoI), Hadjidemetriou, M. (CoI), Hayes, A. (CoI), Hepworth, M. (CoI), Hussell, T. (CoI), Knight, D. (CoI), Kostarelos, K. (CoI), Lennon, R. (CoI), March, P. (CoI), Meng, Q.-J. (CoI), Menon, M. (CoI), Piper Hanley, K. (CoI), Reid, A. (CoI), Sharrocks, A. (CoI), Sherratt, M. (CoI), Thornton, D. (CoI), Unwin, R. (CoI), Wong, J. (CoI) & Woolner, S. (CoI)
1/07/24 → 28/02/25
Project: Research
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Optima Analytical Ultracentrifuge for mechanistic insights into complex protein binding events
Jowitt, T. (PI), Baldock, C. (CoI), Butterworth, S. (CoI), Curtis, R. (CoI), Day, A. (CoI), Dixon, N. (CoI), Dyer, D. (CoI), Lennon, R. (CoI), Leys, D. (CoI), Scrutton, N. (CoI), Tabernero, L. (CoI) & Thornton, D. (CoI)
1/08/22 → 31/07/23
Project: Research